Kimberly Gratland James, Mezzo-Soprano, enjoys an active performance career in opera, concert, and recital venues.  She made her Lincoln Center debut in 2003 in John Adams' Grand Pianola Music with John Adams conducting the London Sinfonietta.  She previously performed the piece with the New World Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Recent concert performances also include: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mahler’s Second Symphony at Amherst College, Duruflé’s Requiem at Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne, Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Indianapolis Symphony, Handel’s Messiah in Missoula Montana, and Bach's St. John’s Passion at Minot State University.    She has also performed Verdi’s Requiem, Ravel’s Shéhérazade, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, and several baroque oratorio works.    Kimberly reprised the Verdi Requiem in Fort Worth and Corpus Christi Texas this past April. 

Ms. James has been engaged professionally with New Orleans Opera, Chautauqua Opera, the Opera Theater of St. Louis, the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers, Opera Mundi in Mexico City, Lyric Opera Cleveland, and Western Plains Opera among others.   She performed her first Carmen in French with the Helena Symphony in March.  Her favorite performed roles include include Carmen, Jo (Little Women), Hansel, Erika (Vanessa), Nancy (Albert Herring), Siébel (Faust), and Dido (Dido and Aeneas). 

          Kimberly received a Doctor of Music degree and Performer’s Diploma from Indiana University.  Dr. James joined the University of Montana music faculty in 2005.  Currently, she teaches applied voice for undergraduate and graduate voice majors and minors, music theory (111-112), and aural perception (137-138).  She has also taught class voice - a methods class for music education majors – and vocal literature.  Dr. James implemented a new learning tool for her music theory classes.  The class is responsible for developing and maintaining a course “wiki”.  See http://umfreshmt.pbwiki.com to view their progress.  To view her personal website and weblog, go to http://gratlandjames.terapad.com.