Saxophone
Bio
James Barrera has been active as a performer and educator in the Southern California area for the past 15 years. While a student at California State University, Long Beach he performed with the Wind Symphony, University Symphony Orchestra, Studio I Jazz Band, and the CSULB Saxophone Ensemble. It was during this time that he, along with three fellow students, formed the Aulos Saxophone Quartet. The quartet was in high demand as a chamber group in the southern California area, and was selected several times as a finalist in the prestigious Coleman, and Carmel Chamber Music Competitions. After completing his BM in Saxophone Performance, James attended the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana as a Saxophone Performance Major. He performed throughout the Mid-west as a member of the IU Wind Ensemble conducted by Ray Cramer, and as a soloist at many North American Saxophone Alliance conferences. He graduated with a M.M. in Saxophone Performance in 2003. James has played with many symphony orchestras such as the American Youth Symphony, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Indiana University Festival Orchestra, Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, and the Bloomington POPS. As an advocate for classical saxophone and new music, he has commissioned or premiered many works for saxophone and piano, saxophone quartet, and saxophone and flute. James has studied under many of the worlds most well know classical saxophonists including, Dr. Eugune Rousseau, Jean-Yves Formeau, Dr. Ken Fisher, Stephen Jordheim, Dr. Stephen Mauk, & Joe Lulloff . His biggest influences are by far his teachers at CSULB and Indiana, Leo Potts and Dr. Otis Murphy. James has served as Associate Instructor of Saxophone at Indiana University, and is currently Professor of Saxophone at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, and Saxophone Instructor at the Orange County High School of the Arts.
