Meet Our Guest Artist
Dennis James
Dennis James’ Glass from the Past
Dennis James debuted as a performing glass musician in 1983. A conservatory-trained artist, James has since dedicated himself to the resurrection of the glass armonica, Benjamin Franklin’s 18th century musical invention, and has now established the instrument as a significant component of today’s international music scene. Founder of the current international revival of glass music, James has transformed his collection of other previously neglected glass instruments into an intriguing and versatile performance resource. With a unique blend of adroit virtuosity, eclectic interests and clever humor, he has become the world’s foremost glass music performer.
During a musical career begun as a professional organist while still in his teens, James has appeared in major concert halls throughout North America, Europe and Australia, from New York’s Lincoln Center to the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria. James’ 1991 debut tour as a glass armonicist was praised by both critics and public alike, appearing in New York City, London, Amsterdam, Vienna and Salzburg. His glass instrument recital and ensemble appearances have since taken him to venues in London, Paris, Versailles, Nantes, Munich, Hannover, Cologne, Florence, Rome, Verona, Naples, and Venice, Vienna, Brussels, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Quebec City, among others. James continues to appear before United States audiences from New York City to Los Angeles and most major cities between.
“There was plenty to enjoy in the varied chamber program presented by the Midsummer Mozart Festival in Herbst Theatre Monday night, but nothing quite so striking as the inclusion of Mozart’s only two works for glass armonica. Under the moist fingers of Dennis James, this wondrous contraption emitted a haunting, ethereal music that was a far cry from the tones of more traditional instruments. James played the solo work surely and tenderly, savoring the clash of its brief dissonances and resolving them into harmonies that rang with extraordinary sweetness.”
Joshua Kosman — San Francisco Chronicle
Born in Philadelphia in 1950, James began formal musical training at the age of seven. He attended Indiana University’s School of Music as a student of both concert and church organ performance, earning his bachelors and masters degrees. His New York debut organ recital was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1973 and his organ concerto debut was with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1982. James has since appeared with orchestras in forty U.S. cities plus various ensembles throughout Canada and The Netherlands.
A glass instrument authority, Dennis James presents illustrated lectures and solo recitals in addition to his guest appearances. He also founded several chamber ensembles himself, including the Musica Curiosa Trio, the Arcadian Players and the Franklin Consort to showcase his unusual instrument collection.
“The Glass Armonica really is an instrument derived from musical wineglasses, and lest you chuckle at the idea, consider that Mozart took it seriously enough to write several works for it. Consider also that in the right hands, it’s quite a gorgeous instrument. James turned on an impressive display of musicality and, what despite my lack of any substantive knowledge of the instrument, I will call technique. Listening, it’s easy to hear what Mozart heard in it, for it marries what is essentially a keyboard’s horizontal layout with an organ’s sustained tone, a flute’s pleasantly sinusoidal wave structure, and a piano’s dynamic responsiveness. It accommodates myriad subtleties of articulation, and a palette of colors, all in the pastel, which are nevertheless varied and infinitely subtle.”
Michael Manning — The Boston Globe
James’ glass armonica theatrical engagements began when he toured throughout France during the early 1990s with six other actor-musicians presenting “Glass Music at the Salon of Benjamin Franklin,” a theatrical production written especially for his unique talent. His portrayal of Pauvre Richard, the armonica-playing servant to Benjamin Franklin, was critically acclaimed and enthusiastically applauded by audiences. James performed his opera debut in 1995 with his restoration of the original glass armonica part in the famous ‘Mad Scene’ in Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor”.
CRISTAL: Glass Music Through the Ages, Dennis James’ debut recording for the Sony-Classical label, features performances with The Emerson String Quartet, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and vocalists Ruth Ann Swenson, Veronique Diestchy and Linda Ronstadt plus members of the Los Angeles Opera. James currently tours his thematic glass programs “A Jeffersonian Soiree” and “Mozart Curiosa” plus the evening length festival ensemble program, “Three Hundred Years of Glass Music” and continues his unique and illustrious musical career here as a guest artist with the Seattle Women’s Chorus.
