James Williams completed his Master of Arts at the Royal Academy of Music, London, where during his studies he received training from eminent figures, such as Simon Keenlyside and John Shirley-Quirk. Since graduating, he has enjoyed an active performing career throughout the UK and Europe, and more recently performed in recital at KM College of Music and Technology, Chennai, the foremost Western music conservatoire in the whole of India.

Having interpreted the title roles in Don Giovanni, Il barbiere di Siviglia and Le nozze di Figaro, James can also list Papageno, Il Conte d'Almaviva, Don Alfonso, Falke, Schaunard and Aeneas in amongst his operational repertory. He has worked alongside a number of renowned artists, being selected in 2015 to participate in the Georg Solti Accademia with Richard Bonynge on the study of bel canto arias; while, in 2017, he performed the role of Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia) as part of Teresa Berganza's Parisian masterclass with the charitable organization, Les Amis de Bizet.

In oratorio, James has performed as baritone soloist in Bach's Weihnachtsoratorium, Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem, Finzi's Et in terra pax, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's The Creation and Mozart's Requiem, while collaborating with the composers Jonathan Rathbone and Howard Goodall on their respective works, Christmas Truce and Eternal Light - A Requiem. Performed song cycles include Die Schöne Müllerin, Dichterliebe, Five Mystical Songs, and Songs of Travel. He was awarded First Prize at the Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Competition, as well as the Charles Dibdin Prize at the 2014 John Kerr Award for English Song.

Future plans include a performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with Eastwood Chorale, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, before embarking on a nationwide tour of Così fan tutte with Dulwich Opera Company later this year.