BOWMAN, James Thomas CBE (1941-2023)
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James Bowman, acclaimed countertenor taken up by Benjamin Britten to sing Oberon and the Voice of Apollo – obituary
‘We’re a down-to-earth bunch who just happen to like singing in a high register,’ he said of himself and his fellow countertenors
James Bowman, who has died aged 81, brought a much-needed dose of glamour to the public perception of the countertenor voice; he succeeded Alfred Deller as Oberon in Benjamin Britten’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream, became the first countertenor to perform at Glyndebourne, and was the soloist in Purcell’s Celebration Ode during the opening concert of the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1967….
James Thomas Bowman was born in Oxford on November 6 1941, the younger of two sons of Benjamin Bowman and his wife Cecilia (née Coote) whose marriage ended badly when James was four. He was educated at the King’s School, Ely, and by the age of seven was at Ely Cathedral, eventually becoming head chorister. When his voice broke he retrained as a countertenor….
He was a Gentleman in Ordinary at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, from 2000 to 2009 and continued giving recitals until 2011. For his farewell concert at the Wigmore Hall he was accompanied by the harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani in a programme that included Handel’s mischievous cantata Vedendo amor in which the continuo line characterises the stalking of an unfortunate lover.
James Bowman, an outrageous raconteur and inspirational colleague whose rich speaking voice belied the effeminate tones of his countertenor, was appointed CBE in 1997.
His great pleasures in life included model railways and sailing on the Queen Mary 2 with his partner, Terry, who survives him.
James Bowman, born November 6 1941, died March 27 2023