In addition performing music, James has also had a keen interest in creating and performing music of his own. His first forays into writing music came in his middle school years – almost as soon as he learned how to read music. Later, his composition “Love, the True Art” for SATB choir was featured on the end of the year concert of the Governor’s School Cantus Chamber Choir. In his undergraduate studies at Furman University, James took Composition Seminar classes and private composition lessons all four years of school, culminating in his Wind Quintet being featured on the Furman University Music School’s Honors Recital.

It was also at Furman that James began writing music in the jazz style, penning several jazz compositions for the jazz ensembles he was a part of to perform.

 He has composed several choral works and arrangements of existing pieces for St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Spring, TX and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston, TX. Several of the songs on the Bayou City Swing album “Sunshine on Bastrop” (Hannah Lovely, Sunshine on Bastrop, and Sting-Ray) were composed by James, with several others (Third Ward Stomp, Menil Park Jugglers) having his compositional/arrangement input. 

On the Composition Samples page, you can view several snippets of James’ compositional repertoire. On the Arrangement Samples page, you can view samples of James’ work arranging existing music for his clients to use.