James began studying timpani and percussion at the Birmingham Conservatoire. Whilst here, he specialised in orchestral performance and was awarded the Birmingham Conservatoire Percussion Prize. Alongside orchestral playing, James enjoys performing solo percussion and chamber repertoire.
James has performed with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and the English Symphony Orchestra, where he had the opportunity to work with conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Sakari Oramo, Gustavo Dudamel, Ilan Volkov, Vernon Handley and Andrew Litton. James toured with the CBSO to Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Greece. After gaining his undergraduate degree, James was awarded the D’oyly Carte Scholarship and Oldhurst Tust award to study for a Master of Arts at the Royal Academy of Music. During this time he worked with the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, London Concert and New English Concert Orchestras, as well as the BBC. Whilst at the Academy, James was awarded the James Blades prize for orchestral performance.
Royal Academy of Music
London, UK
Birmingham Conservatoire
Birmingham, UK
If you weren’t a musician what would you be?
I would love to be a professional golfer.
Which three people, living or dead, would you most like to have dinner with and why?
I would love to have dinner with Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington as their conversation would make the dinner very amusing!