James Holmes

A veteran conductor of British stage productions, James Holmes has built a varied career out of multiple disciplines, primarily conducting and arrangement. He rose to prominence as a principal conductor for the English National Opera, leading the orchestra in productions of works by Mozart (The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni), Rossini (The Barber of Seville), Verdi (Falstaff), and Gilbert & Sullivan (The Mikado). He also successfully imported stage musical works from Broadway to the company, including productions of Sondheim (a rendition of Pacific Overtures that yielded an acclaimed recording in 1988) and Weill (Street Scene). These threads would all continue as Holmes moved into a tenure as head of music at Leeds' Opera North from 1996 to 2008. His 2025 project was an apotheosis of all his career highlights, conducting Weill and Lerner's Love Life, captured for its first complete recording that same year.