The young English baritone James Bobby studied voice with Thomas Hemsly at the Guildhall School of Music in London. He won Second Prize at the National Mozart Competition and was a finalist at the Royal Overseas League Final and the Madeline Finden Memorial Trust Competition. He won the GSMD British Song Prize and was a recipient of the Dartington International Festival 2004 Foyle Foundation Bursary.

He started his career in the ensemble of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. There he sang many small parts such as Mandarin (Turandot), Capitano (Simon Boccanegra) and Sicario (Macbeth) and was cover for parts such as Donald (Billy Budd), Schlémil (Les Contes d'Hoffmann), Marullo (Rigoletto), Dr. Grenvil (La Traviata), Steuermann (Tristan und Isolde) and Nachtwächter (Die Meistersinger).

With Scottish Opera James Bobby was engaged as cover für Dr. Kolenaty (The Makropoulos Case) and Junius (The Rape of Lucretia). He also sang Masetto (Don Giovanni) with the Dartington International Summer School.

In the season 2002/03 James Bobby joined the Opera Studio of the Atelier de l’Opéra National du Rhin (Les Jeunes Voix du Rhin), to continue his studies and to prepare bigger parts such as   Germont (La Traviata) and Silvio (I Pagliacci). There he also sang, among others, Alexandre Bis (Alexandre by Martinu), Satan (Larmes de Couteau by Martinu) and Le Podestat (Docteur Miracle by Bizet). Furthermore James Bobby sang Baron Douphol (La Traviata) with Opéra National du Rhin Strasbourg, and in summer 2003 at the Aberdeen International Youth Festival the parts of  Escamillo (Carmen) and Onegin (Eugene Onegin).

In the season 2004/05 he sang, among others, Posa (Don Carlo) with Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, Tarquinio (Respighi’s Lucrezia) in Strasbourg, Mulhouse and Colmar, Kaiser Overall (Der Kaiser von Atlantis) with Theater Biel Solothurn as well as Prior Walter in the German premiere of Peter Eötvös’ Angels in America with Hamburgische Staatsoper. In the fall 2005 he returned to Innsbruck as Sharpless (Madama Butterfly). In January 2006 he guested as Schaunard (La Bohème) at Theater Freiburg.

From 2006 to 2009 James Bobby was a member of Oldenburgisches  Staatstheater. There he sang, among others, Captain (John Adams’ Death of Klinghoffer), Haushofmeister (Ariadne auf Naxos), Escamillo (Carmen), ), Andrei (Peter Eötveös’ Drei Schwestern), Wolfram (Tannhäuser), Germont (La Traviata), Tarquinius (The Rape of Lucretia) und Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Albert (Werther) und Gabey (Bernstein’s On the Town).

With the beginning of the 2009/10 season James Bobby joined the roster of Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf. Here he sings, a.o., Ned Keene (Peter Grimes), Wolfram (Tannhäuser) and Alfio (Cavalleria Rusticana). In the same season he also returns as a guest to Oldenburg as Don Giovanni and Il Conte di Luna (Il Trovatore) and sings the Baritone Solo in Hypermusic Prologue by Hèctor Parra with Ensemble Intercontemporain in Barcelona (Liceu), Luxembourg and Brussels.

His operatic repertoire also includes roles like Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Malatesta (Don Pasquale), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Falke (Die FledermausLescaut (Manon Lescaut) and Leporello (Don Giovanni).