Biography:

The winner of many national and international competitions, James Nalley has performed across the United States, Canada, and Europe as a solo recitalist and he made his New York debut in Carnegie Hall to great acclaim. Other solo appearances have included New York?s Merkin Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rockefeller University, and Boston?s Jordan Hall and Tsai Auditorium. He has performed for the Bravo Channel Broadcasts in Canada and on the BBC in England and has appeared as soloist with many orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony.

He is a frequent collaborator with vocalists and instrumentalists for venues in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. As an advocate of New Music, he has premiered many solo and collaborative compositions including the Washington, DC, premiere of Conjuros," a song cycle by Roberto Sierra, and World Premieres of compositions by Jonathan Green. Equally comfortable in chamber music, he has performed at the Aspen Music Festival, the Taos Chamber Music Festival, and with the Maryland String Quartet, Muir String Quartet, as well as performances with the Shanghai String Quartet.

James has been a frequent guest artist/teacher and Artist-in-Residence at the University of New Orleans Festival and International Piano Competition. He has presented Master Classes at many institutions, including New Orleans, Tulane, Longwood, Bucknell, Boston, Temple, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As a lecturer and speaker, he has presented at many MTNA chapter sessions as well as the Springfield MTA. He has also given lecture-recitals on the Charles Ives Sonata No. 1 at the East Coast Conference of the College Music Society at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He recently returned from the 5th World Piano Pedagogy Conference as a speaker on the Pros and Cons of Piano Competitions. Upcoming lectures will be on "The Use of Imagery to Introduce 20th Century Music to Piano Students" at the Piano Wellness Seminar in North Carolina.

James was recently the Artist-in-Residence at the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts in Calgary, Canada, where he recorded a CD of the Charles Ives Sonata No. 1 and the Aaron Copland Piano Sonata, and was the Chamber Music Artist at the 2000 Rome Festival in Italy. He is also the pianist for the Washington Opera Summer Program at the Kennedy Center.

As an adjudicator, he has judged for international and national competitions, including the Wolf Trap Competition, and for all levels of piano competitions of the MTNA, Federation for Music Clubs and MTA throughout Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington, DC.

His upcoming season includes recitals throughout the east coast, a live radio broadcast performance in Rochester, NY, performances at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, George Mason University, Philadelphia, Toronto, Canada, Georgetown University, the German Embassy Series in Washington, DC, and Limerick, Ireland.

James has been appointed Assistant Professor of Piano at the prestigious Florida State University School of Music.

Quotes :

"a musical sorcerer who captivated the audience's fullest attention" --- Salt Lake Tribune

"a musician with an intriguing gift" --- Cleveland Plain Dealer

"an exciting performer with powerful emotion" --- Philadelphia Inquirer