Biography (continued) When James was a senior in high school, the school paper listed his future plans as attending the agricultural college at the University of Wyoming; and that might have been the case, if not for one chance encounter.  James had been chosen to sing the bass solos of Handle’s Messiah at his church -- an honor, to be sure, but one for which he was not entirely prepared.  “I really had no idea of what I was doing!” confesses James.  “And believe me, ignorance is not bliss, in this case!  There I was, scared out of my tree, singing these difficult recitatives and arias, and I didn’t even know how to read music at the time -- I had learned my part by rote from some old recording the choir director gave me (God Bless him!)”  Most singers in such a predicament would chose to sing quietly and hope not to make too many egregious mistakes.  But James was never one to fade into the wallpaper. Rather, as he puts it, “I just let it rip!” In the audience was a local voice teacher.  Impressed by the sheer raw talent and sensitivity of James’ performance, she approached him after the concert and asked if he would be interested in pursuing music at a school in California.  “I nearly passed out,” says James.  “I’d never been West of Colorado at that time!”  James had less than a month to submit an application to the voice program.  He took only a handful of lessons before learning and recording two songs for his demo tape.  One was, The Lord’s Prayer.  The other was the Elvis Presley hit, I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.  The contrast between these two selections may seem incongruous, but it neatly sums up the range of James’ personality and style. The college accepted James sight unseen, based entirely on the strength of his demo tape.  But little did James know that he would be making history by enrolling there.  His teacher had forgotten to mention that the college was Mount St. Mary’s College, a private all girls Catholic School that was considering going co-ed.  James would be a guinea pig of sorts -- as the first male ever to live on campus.  It was an experience he describes as “surreal.”  “There I was,” explains James, “a farm boy plopped down in a ritzy part of LA, surrounded by all these California women.  I actually felt intimidated!”  Fortunately for the women of Mount St. Mary’s, James had to focus most of his attention on his studies.  James was blessed with an amazing voice, but he had had almost no formal training.  “I basically started from ground zero.”  Says James.  “It was a long and arduous struggle to catch up, but the work fascinated and inspired me.  I began working on my voice more seriously and it began to grow and change.” Mount St. Mary’s gave James a solid foundation in theory and performance. James transferred to the California State University-Northridge, (CSUN), where he honed his operatic skills under the careful guidance of Professor David Scott, a teacher with a reputation for spotting and developing talent, such as soprano Carol Vaness.  While at CSUN, James moved up through the ranks, and landed ever more demanding roles that proved he had the skills and stamina necessary to be a leading man.  Memorable roles with CSUN included Papagano, in The Magic Flute, and MacHeath, in The Beggar’s Opera.  During his tenure, James was named, “Outstanding Opera Student”, twice. James has enjoyed a diverse and exciting career as a vocalist and performer.  He has performed over 24 operatic and musical theatre roles, over 30 oratorios and sacred works, countless smaller solo and ensemble performances, several world premieres, and numerous benefit concerts for hospitals and the needy.  He has taught voice at Cypress College in Cypress, CA, has two solo vocal recordings, one cast album recording of a Rodgers and Hart musical called "Present Arms". He has performed in Bogotá, Columbia; Prague, Czech Republic; Cancun, Mexico; Vancouver, British Columbia; Zurich, Switzerland; Bucharest, Romania; Valetta, Malta.  and almost every state in the Union. James has sung for an impressive list of dignitaries, including the House Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi; Mayor Jerry Brown, of Oakland, CA; Mayor Gavin Newsome, of San Francisco, CA; Saskatchewan Speaker of the Assembly the Honarable Myron P. Kowalsky; Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles, Alaska Governor (and former Vice Presidential hopeful) Sarah Palin; and several celebrities, including Jim Belushi, Rodney Dangerfield, George Wendt (from "Cheers"), Gary Busey, Cookie Lee, Jenny Craig, Roger Penske, Annette Bening, Georgio Marciano, Steve Jobs and Richard Simmons.  He even performed at the opening of the prestigious Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada and for the US Army. James is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including, the National Arts Award, the Meryl Norman Foundation Award, the Mary Pickford Award, and the Nancy Hooker Award. James continues to be a favorite with audiences and critics.  His performances as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Emile de Becque, in South Pacific, El Gallo in The Fantasticks and Max, in the play Lend Me A Tenor; have helped set box office records at theaters across the United States. Nor has the opera world overlooked this talented baritone, praising his performances As Masetto, in Don Giovanni; and as Schaunard, in La Bohème. The Mayor of his hometown even declared December 29th, 2002 as "James Anest Day" rewarding his funraising efforts for a local county hospital. James lives in Orange County, California with his family, continuing to perform as a singer, actor and recording artist. back to top

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