James Billings (1932 – February 3, 2022) was an American operaticbaritone,librettist, andopera director. He began his career in the late 1950s in Boston and later became a member of theNew York City Opera where he performed regularly from the early 1970s through the 1990s. A specialist in thecomprimario repertoire, he has portrayed more than 175 opera roles on stage during his long career.[1] Billings has also written librettos for numerous operas for children and since the mid-1990s has directed several opera productions.
Billings graduated with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance fromWichita State University and then pursued graduate music studies atBoston University. While at BU he also studied at theBerkshire Music Center in the summers and notably conducted the world premiere ofMark Bucci's operaTale for a Deaf Ear at theTanglewood Music Festival in August 1957 with a cast that includedJean Kraft andEdward Purrington.[2]
Billings began his professional career singing underSarah Caldwell at theOpera Company of Boston during the company's first season in 1958, singing there regularly through 1970 in such roles as Sellem inThe Rake's Progress, Napoleon in the American premiere ofWar and Peace, and Harlequin inAriadne auf Naxos.[1][3][4] In 1962 he sang the role of Polonius in the world premiere ofSergius Kagen's operaHamlet, after the play by Shakespeare, inBaltimore at thePeabody Art Theater withLaszlo Halasz conducting members of theBaltimore Symphony.[5] In 1964 he made his debut at theLyric Opera of Chicago as Benoit inLa bohème.[6] In 1969 he shared the stage withBeverly Sills in a production ofAriadne auf Naxos with theBoston Symphony Orchestra.[7] Billings later performed with Sills frequently at the New York City Opera during the 1970s, and he notably served as themajordomo for Sills' final performance,Beverly! Her Farewell Performance, in 1981.[8]
In 1970 Billings sang in the company of the first national tour ofCamelot and returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago to portray Maestro Spinelloccio inGianni Schicchi.[9] He appeared onBroadway in 1971 in the revival ofKurt Weill'sJohnny Johnson[10] after which he sang the title role inDon Pasquale with theNew York Lyric Opera in Summer of 1972.[11] The following autumn, he joined the roster at the New York City Opera,[12] making his first appearance in October as Spalanzani inThe Tales of Hoffmann, opposite Sills andNorman Treigle.[13] He continued singing there for roughly the next three decades in well over a hundred roles, including Alcindoro inLa boheme,[14] Sacristan inTosca,[15] Goro inMadama Butterfly,[16] Ko-Ko inThe Mikado,[17] Frank inDie Fledermaus,[18] Baron Puck inLa Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein,[19] Henrik Ibsen inSong of Norway,[20] General Novikovich inThe Merry Widow,[21] Don Magnifico inLa Cenerentola, Badger inJanáček'sThe Cunning Little Vixen, Beckmesser inRichard Wagner'sDie Meistersinger, and Alberich in Wagner'sDas Rheingold to name just a few.[1] In 1980 he notably sang the role of Agent in the world premiere ofStanley Silverman'sMadame Adare.[22] He has sung on a number of recordings with the New York City Opera, including the 1978 recording ofDie lustige Witwe (excerpts, with Sills,EMI) and the 1986 recording ofLeonard Bernstein'sCandide which won aGrammy Award for Best Opera Recording in 1987.[23] In 1989 he portrayed the role of Monsieur Beaunoir inThe New Moon which was filmed live forPBS'sGreat Performances and subsequently released on DVD.[24]
Billings has also occasionally sung with other opera houses and ensembles as a guest artist. In 1980 he performed Frank inDie Fledermaus with thePhiladelphia Orchestra.[25] In 1982 he performed the role of the Judge inTrial By Jury withWashington National Opera.[26] That same year he sang the role of Salieri in the world premiere ofP.D.Q. Bach's operaA Little Nightmare Music at Carnegie Hall.[27] In 1983 he returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago to perform the role of Ko-Ko,[28] and sang there again in 1994 for the company's first production ofCandide.[29]
Billings is also the author of severallibrettos for children's operas. He wrote three librettos for composerDennis Arlan (The Ballad of the Bremen Band,The Daughter of the Double Duke of Dingle, andMeanwhile, Back at Cinderella's) and one libretto for composerTed Kicilek (Hansel and Gretel) to name just a few of his works.[1] For his work as a lyricist and librettist he has won several awards from theAmerican Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Billings has also directed a number of operas with the New York City Opera and other companies beginning with the NYC Opera's September 1996 production ofH.M.S. Pinafore in which he also portrayed the role of Sir Joseph Porter.[30] In 2005,Springfield Regional Opera presented the premiere of his operaBabes in the Woods.
Billings has also authored several books including The Nutley Papers - Springfield Regional Opera Company premiered his opera based on this novel - and most recently the children's book The Daughter of the Double-Duke of Dingle. Billings died on February 3, 2022, at the age of 89.[citation needed]
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