Baritone, James D. Rodriguez, has appeared in operatic works by Bizet, Rossini, Mozart, Donizetti, Strauss, Verdi, Catán, and many others. Favorite roles include Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Tonio in Pagliacci, Dr. Rappaccini in La Hija de Rappaccini, Herr Fanninal in Der Rosenkavalier, and the title roles in Rigoletto and Falstaff, the latter which he performed with the TCU Opera and Symphony Orchestra. Other appearances include those with Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera in the Heights, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, Opera Theatre Pittsburgh, the Natchez Festival of Music, and the Moores Opera Center. Concert appearances include Beethoven’s 9th Symphony & Mass in C, Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Carlisle Floyd’s Pilgrimage, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Goodall’s Eternal Light: A Requiem, and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with the Houston Camerata, Fort Bend Symphony, and San Antonio Symphony, among others.
An avid collaborator, he has performed recitals with PianoTexas Festival with Dr. Michael Bukhman, the Festival of American Song with Dr. Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao (with composer Libby Larsen in residency), Opus Nova, Mt. Vernon Music, and Austin Chamber Music Center, for which he was awarded an Austin Critics Table Award for his participation in “Black Composers Concert: The Black Female Composer”, with pianist, Dr. Artina McCain. In addition, he has performed as part of a trio with Drs. McCain and Alfred, touring the works of Black Female Composers as part of a recital series throughout the United States. In 2024, he sang as part of the Mahogany Chamber Music Series at the Crosstown Theater in Memphis, Tennessee and premiered COLOSSUS: Mother of Exiles by Christopher Aspaas with the TCU Concert Chorale. He is also the recipient of the gold medal in the Young Texas Artists Vocal Competition.
Dr. Rodriguez is an Associate Professor of Voice & Voice Pedagogy at Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX), and has presented his research at conferences through the National Association of Teachers of Singing, The Voice Foundation, the Pan American Vocology Association, and many others. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Houston and is a Certified Vocologist from the National Center for Voice and Speech.
Research Presentations – NATS National Conference (June 2020), TMEA National Convention (February 2020), NOA TEXOMA Presentation (September 2019), PAVA International Conference (October 2019), TEXOMA NATS Artist Series Recital (November 2018), Black Female Composers Recital (2018-present).
Creative Activity – Messiah (San Antonio Symphony), Carmina Burana (Fort Bend Symphony), PianoTexas Festival, Festival of American Song (with Libby Larsen), Rigoletto (Natchez Festival of Music), Tonio in Pagliacci (Opera in the Heights).
College of Fine Arts Dean’s Professional Development Grant
TCU CFA Arts Programming & Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Grant
TCU Junior Faculty Summer Research Program Grant
Austin Critics Table Award
Texas Young Artists Competition Gold Medal Winner
College Music Society
National Association of Teachers of Singing
Texas Music Educators Association
The Voice Foundation
Pan American Vocology Association
NATS Membership Committee
TCU Faculty Senate Chair (2024-2025)
TCU College of Fine Arts Faculty Senator
TCU Senate Governance Committee
TCU CFA DEI Committee
TCU CFA Curriculum Committee
