Many of you will know James Jorden, the indomitable and brilliant creator and editor of Parterre Box, an online magazine specializing in opera and more for which both David Fox and Cameron Kelsall write. Parterre has long been an outlet for both of us: with James’ encouragement, the features and reviews that we wrote there, we also cross-post here.

We are heartbroken to report that James passed away a few days ago. His loss is deep and personal, but his imprint on the world of arts criticism is immeasurable… and will continue.

We want to honor his memory here, and make all of you aware of how deeply he imprinted not only our own work, but the world of performing arts criticism more widely.

In memoriam: James Jorden, 1954-2023