Biography
Conductor and Percussionist James Beauton is currently the Director of Orchestra and Classical Music Studies at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco. 2023-24 marked his debut season as the Music Director and Conductor of the Winchester Orchestra of San Jose. He also holds the percussion faculty position at San Francisco State University.
Beauton emerged on the orchestral podium in 2019, conducting a performance of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite with the Villa Musica Summer Orchestra in San Diego. Shortly following, he became assistant conductor of the Coachella Valley Symphony, a position that included directing the Buddy Rogers Youth Symphony. James has also held music director positions with Mt. San Jacinto College Concert Band and the UC San Diego Wind Ensemble, and founded and conducted the Villa Musica Chamber Players.
As a concert percussionist, James was the grand prize winner of the 2012 Southern California International Marimba Competition, and performed as a member of Steven Schick’s renowned percussion ensemble, red fish blue fish, from 2015-2020. He continues to perform the most demanding music in the solo and chamber percussion repertoire, while advocating for the exploration and commissioning of new works.
James earned his Doctorate in Contemporary Music Performance from UC San Diego, a Masters in Percussion from SUNY Stony Brook, and a Bachelors of Music from Michigan State University. James is a Yamaha Performing Artist.