James Penn is an emerging tenor and conductor, returning as a developing artist this year. He began his musical training as a boy chorister at All Saints church, St Kilda East. He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from the Victorian College of the Arts, and a Graduate Diploma in Music from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. In 2016 he co-founded BK opera. His roles include Turiddu (Cavalleria Rusticana), Camille de Rossillon (The Merry Widow), Lucentio (The taming of the shrew), Frederic (the Pirates of Penzance), Ralph Rackstraw (HMS Pinafore), Rodolfo (La Bohème), Pollione (Norma), Beadle Bamford (Sweeney Todd), Don Curzio (Marriage of Figaro), and the title role in Werther.

For Melbourne Opera James recently covered the role of Zorn in and sang an apprentice role (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) and was the cover Messenger and first Philistine (Samson et Dalila).