James Scott started as Principal Trombone with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in September of 1981, having just completed his bachelors and masters degrees from New York’s Juilliard School. At that same time, the University of Calgary invited him to join their faculty as the Trombone Instructor there. As an orchestral musician, he has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the New Jersey Symphony, and the National Ballet Orchestra. Scott has performed under such notable conductors as Zubin Mehta, James Levine, Rafael Kubelick, Andre Previn and Aaron Copland.
He has performed as a soloist with the Calgary Phiharmonic on several occasions including the concertos of Tomasi, Grøndahl, David, Wagenseil and most recently in the world premiere of Vincent Ho’s – “The Sandman’s Domain”. Scott has also been featured in solo performances at the Universities of Calgary, Lethbridge and Georgia. He has also been a performer with the 1988 Calgary Olympics opening and closing ceremony music, several Broadway-style shows and local jazz groups, including Primetime Big Band.
Scott is also proud of his service over the years on various committees, representing his fellow musicians, including the Orchestra Committee, Contract Negotiating Committee, and the Executive Board of Local 547 (Canadian Federation of Musicians). James Scott is an artist for Edwards Instruments, performing exclusively on their trombones.