James Morris, the renowned American bass, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He studied voice at the Peabody Conservatory in his hometown. Among his voice teachers were the legendary American soprano Rosa Ponselle and the bass Nicola Moscona. At a young age in the 1970s Morris became a regular singer at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. He quickly developed a wide repertory, including operas written by such composers as Wagner, Mozart, Verdi, Thomas, Puccini, Donizetti, Offenbach, Mussorgsky, Britten, and Gounod. He is particularly renowned for his performances of roles such as Wotan, Hans Sachs, and Boris Godunov. He has recorded the role of Wotan in two complete cycles of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. He continues to be in demand in the world’s greatest opera houses.