people

Biography

Jim Cornelison grew up in Washington State, obtained a voice performance degree from Seattle Pacific

University and then a Masters of Music from the famed Jacobs School of Music at Indiana

University in 1993.

Jim was invited to join the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s apprentice program in 1995. Leaving in 1998 he was managed by Columbia Artists and over the next 9 years sang with San Francisco

Opera, L’Opera de Bordeaux, English National Opera, Seattle Opera, Fort Worth, Minnesota, Baltimore, Hawaii, Anchorage, the National Opera of Belgium, the Lyric Opera of Chicago,

Chicago Symphony Orchestra and many others.

In 2008 the Chicago Blackhawks asked Jim to sing all the National Anthems for their home games. This was a dramatic change of lifestyle and direction into the corporate and sports’ worlds. With the Blackhawks, Jim has received 3 Stanley Cup Championship rings, performed for 3 internationally televised Winter Classic hockey games as well as the NHL’s 2014 Stadium Series game. With the Bears, he has performed the anthem at each home opening game since 2010 as well as their home playoff games and the opening day of the 100th Anniversary of the NFL.

Too many opportunities to list have come from this repeated national exposure of Jim’s unique but conservative rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. He has been featured on the Harry Connick, Jr Show, the Colbert Report, David Letterman’s webcast, NPR’s Morning Edition, the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, NBC’s Newday Northwest, and nearly all Chicago and Indianapolis media outlets. The Boston Globe said “Francis Scott Key wrote the words. Jim Cornelison has shaped them into an American rallying cry!” While Harry Connick posted on Twitter, “That may be my favorite national anthem ever!” Jim has sung for many major sporting events like; the Ryder Cup, ESPN’s College Game Day, NASCAR races, Friday Night Fights, USA Rugby, the Indianapolis Pacers and Colts, and all of Chicago’s pro sports teams. Other fun and unexpected events have emerged, too, like: performing with the Smashing Pumpkins, with jazz great Frank Catalano, being the master of ceremonies for the NBC broadcast of Chi-Town Rising on New Year’s Eve and of course, for the last nine years, having the honor of singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, the Indianapolis 500, every Memorial Day Weekend.

Jim has just recently started making concert appearances again, starting with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra’s “Sports Orchestrated” program and this past March for the 50th Anniversary Gala of the Indianapolis Opera.