Jay came into the national spotlight when he created the role of Anthony in Terrence McNally’s Tony Award winning Best Play Master Class, on Broadway in 1995. Career highlights include performances in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Seattle, Santiago, Santa Fe, Toronto, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Hawaii, Atlanta, Paris, Monte Carlo, Budapest, Tokyo, Nice, Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Vienna, Taipei, Beijing, Rome, The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.

He famously starred as Siegfried at the Metropolitan Opera in their new production by Robert LePage, which was broadcast live to cinemas worldwide, and won a Grammy for Best Opera Recording. Jay studied at Juilliard and has created roles in eight World Premiere Operas, and numerous works for Concert and Orchestra. He has been active in Voice Over and Studio Work in Nashville, NYC, and LA as a Vocalist in Commercials, Classical, Country, Gospel, and Jazz, for more than 30 years, and has been a featured artist on PBS Great Performances, CBS Sunday Morning, and Live from Lincoln Center. He has given Master Classes all over the world, inspiring audiences with his unbridled enthusiasm and passion for the Arts. In 2013 his book Diary of a Redneck Opera Zinger was published by Opera Lively. In December of 2022 Jay completed a One-on-One Management Essentials Training course with Michael Mael, Founding Member of Advisory Board for the Arts and former COO of the Washington National Opera.