James Hayden
Bass
Bio:
James Hayden, bass, is a vocalist, studio musician, and union delegate (AGMA) based in Los Angeles, CA. His “extraordinarily deep bass” can be heard performing “They’re the Clades” in Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World, and on over 70 other television, movie, and video game soundtracks, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Simpsons, Wish, Haunted Mansion, Jurassic World, The Grinch, Muppets Most Wanted, and Call of Duty: Cold War. He has provided pop vocals for Rosalía’s Motomami and Motomami+ albums, subharmonic vocals for Scott Pilgrim: Takes Off, patriotic vocals for the The American Adventure at Epcot, and live backing vocals for Billie Eilish at the 2020 Grammy’s.
He is particularly fond of site-specific and immersive performances: declaiming arias atop a penny-farthing bike at Sony Studios as the Basso Buffo in the LA Phil production of John Cage’s Europeras, escaping the destruction of Walt Disney Concert Hall as a cowardly crooner in the world premiere of Annie Gosfield’s War of the Worlds, and looping operatic scenes 24 times a day on the banks of the LA River during the run of Hopscotch. Recent notable accomplishments include the role of Private Investigator in the U.S. Premiere of Oliver Leith’s opera, Last Days, with the LA Philharmonic, and the role of Seneca in the world premiere of The Comet/Poppea with The Industry. He is particularly proud of choosing to continue singing at all after recording over 200 virtual choir videos during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
He is a Roster Chorister with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and a Company Member with The Industry, the experimental opera company praised by KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen as “the coolest opera company in the world.” When not being “languorously sexy” or “a weird, looming presence” on the operatic stage, you can find him recording vocals in his home studio, playing convoluted board games with friends, and writing award-winning pop a cappella charts for ensembles across the U.S..
