James Bowman

English countertenor
Born: 6th November 1941 Oxford, England
Died: 27th March 2023 Redhill, England
James Bowman was one of the pillars of the historically informed early music revival, and made hundreds of recordings of the music of Monteverdi, Purcell, Handel, Bach, Vivaldi, and numerous other early composers.
His career started as a boy chorister at Ely Cathedral, and later, as a countertenor, as an Academic Clerk at New College Oxford, where he read history. He also sang in the Choir of Christ Church. In 1967, he was chosen by Benjamin Britten to sing the part of Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and was asked to perform at the opening of the new Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank.