How did you discover opera as a career path?

I was a bit resistant to it at first. I played violin through school, pushed by my mother but switched to the viola because I became 6ft 4 and had large hands. Then my voice broke, and I wanted to sing a lot. I went to Goldsmiths for undergraduate and my teacher there persuaded me to start singing. I did La bohème when I was 19 with an orchestra, then I spent time doing fringe opera for a few years and decided I wanted to do it properly.

How do you feel returning to Das Rheingold after a break?

It’s been lovely working with all the people that I haven’t seen since the first performances. Keel Watson, who played Wotan, unfortunately died last year, so we’ve got a new Wotan. It’s getting everything back on its feet and trying to find the energy again. Our first performances were when I started opera school, so now people have recognised the work that I’ve put in, which is nice!

Is there an opera that speaks to you most deeply?

My favourite is Pagliacci. I love the music in it. I find the ‘struggling artist’ concept interesting. I think it really sums up that archetype, even though it’s extreme, but we all see a little bit of ourselves in one of these characters at least. It’s completely over the top and melodramatic, but it says a lot about what we do as artists. We must all go through a fight.

Do you have any dream roles?

There are roles that I’d love to sing, but I won’t be able to sing and there’s roles that there’s a clear route to. For example, Siegmund in Die Walküre would be wonderful and I hope that things go that way and I’ll be doing that in the next few years.

A role that I probably won’t be able to sing, but I’d love to, is Radamès in Aida.

Do you have any advice for younger opera singers or people just starting out?

I think the biggest thing is keeping an open mind. People often feel like if they have to branch out from opera to make it work that they’ve somehow failed. I do a lot of corporate music and corporate entertainment alongside opera.

You can also get a lot of opinions, which is especially hard for younger and more impressionable singers. It’s easy to let everybody’s opinions affect you, I certainly did 10 years ago. You should be open-minded but at the same time, work out who you are and when to ignore other people’s opinions. ON

James Schouten is Loge in Regents Opera’s production of Das Rheingold at York Hall, Bethnal Green from 9 February. regentsopera.com

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Opera Now. Never miss an issue – subscribe today