British baritone James Atkinson is a graduate of the Royal College of Music Opera Studio, where he studied with Alison Wells. James won the Royal Over-Seas League Singers Prize 2022, First prize at the Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards 2018, and First prize and the Audience Prize at the Somerset Song Prize 2019.

James Atkinson has made multiple appearances at the Oxford Lieder Festival, recently alongside Iain Burnside in the Oxford Lieders’ 2021 Winter into Spring festival, live streamed from the Holywell Music Room and presented by Petroc Trelawny. He recently made his debut with Welsh National Opera as Masetto in Don Giovanni. With the Royal College of Music Opera Studio, he sang the roles of Buonafede in Il monda della luna, Ramiro in L'heure espagnole, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, Le Gendarme in Les mamelles de Tirésias and Blazes in The Lighthouse.

As a recitalist he has performed at the London Song Festival, the Lewes Song Festival, the Red House in Aldeburgh, the North Norfolk Music Festival and the Ludlow English Song Weekend. His September 2021 recital with Sholto Kynoch at the Lammermuir Festival was broadcasted live on BBC Radio 3 as a Lunchtime Live Concert.

Upcoming performances include Guglielmo in a new production of Mozart Cosí fan tutte (Welsh National Opera), a Glenarm Festival of Voice BBC Radio 3 Recital with Simon Lepper, Faure Requiem (Jonathan Nott, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande) and Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem (Berard Labadie, Boston Handel and Haydn Society).