James Atherton (tenor)
James Peyton Atherton Jr (April 27, 1943 – November 20, 1987)[1] was an American tenor and artistic director.[2]
Early years
Atherton was born in Montgomery, Alabama, the son of James Peyton Atherton[3] (1904–1972) and Anna Avery Thomas (1999–1993), both of Montgomery, Alabama.
Education
He studied at the Peabody Conservatory, in Baltimore primarily with Martial Singher and Rosa Ponselle. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music in 1965.
Career
He shorted his name for the stage to simply "James Atherton" and had a successful career as a tenor and music director. He is listed as a noteworthy tenor in Marquis Who's Who[4] and is recognized in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
He served on the faculties of Peabody Conservatory, Goucher College, Towson State University, and Dickinson College.[5]
Chronology
- 1971 – Atherton made his debut with the San Francisco Opera.
- 1973 – He accepted a position at the Santa Fe Opera. He sang as Sir Philip Wingrave in the American stage premiere of Britten's Owen Wingrave, as well as Leoš Janáček Schoolmaster, Fenton, Jo (The Mother of Us All), Monsieur Triquet, as Antonio in Stephen Oliver's adaptation of The Duchess of Malfi; as Leukippos in Richard Strauss' Daphne; and as Pluto in Orpheus in the Underworld.
- 1976 – He accepted a position at the Canadian Opera Company. He sang as Fritz in Jacques Offenbach's La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein.
- 1977 – He sang with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, as the Holy Fool and Simpleton in Boris Godunov, returning in 17 other roles.
- 1979 – He made his debut at Glyndebourne in Haydn's La fedeltà premiata.
- 1980–1987 His career evolved into stage direction. He was the artistic director of the opera studio at the St. Louis Conservatory at the time of his death in 1987.
Death
He died in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 20, 1987. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Montgomery, Alabama.[6] His obituary was printed in The New York Times on November 24, 1987.[7]
Ancestry
His ancestors came to Alabama from McLean County, Kentucky. His great-great grandfather, William Atherton died there in 1879. [8]
See also
- List of performers at the Metropolitan Opera, Atherton gave 277 performances between October 17, 1977, and September 27, 1985.
- Alabama Music Hall of Fame
References
- "James P Atherton entry in the Atherton One Name Study".
- Wierzbicki, James; Forbes, Elizabeth (2013). "Biography of James P Atherton Jr". doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2234194. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - "J P Atherton father – poet".
- "Oxford Music Online Biography of James P. Atherton Jr – American Tenor and Musical Director".
- "Alabama Music Hall of Fame".
- James Peyton Atherton at Find a Grave
- "James Atherton Dies; A Tenor and Director". The New York Times. November 24, 1987.
- "William Atherton ancestor of James P Atherton".