James John is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at The Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College-CUNY, where he directs the Queens College Vocal Ensemble, the Queens College Choral Society , and heads the graduate program in choral conducting. Dr. John is also Artistic Director of the Manhattan-based vocal ensemble, Cerddorion, a select chamber choir dedicated to adventurous programs that span the breadth of the choral repertoire.

Under his leadership, the choral program at The Aaron Caplan School of Music has become recognized as one of the finest collegiate choral programs in the region, with performances at state and divisional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association, as well as performances in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. His ensembles are featured on several recordings, including The Partsongs of Hamish MacCunn (Spotify, Apple Music), released by the QC Vocal Ensemble, and Songs of Peace and Praise, a compilation of choral music by Queens College composers, released on the NAXOS label. The QC Vocal Ensemble’s world premiere recording of Shanan Estreicher’s cantata, A Concordance of Leaves, was released on the NAXOS label in February of 2024.

Dr. John’s guest-conducting appearances include Brahms’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Tokyo Oratorio Society and Oratorio Sinfonica Japan, the annual Messiah Sing-In at David Geffen Hall, a concert of American choral music with the Virginia Chorale, and honor choirs throughout New York State. He has served as guest chorus master for the Queens Symphony, and has also contracted choirs for Josh Groban, including appearances on the Tonight Show and the opening ceremonies of the U.S. Open, as well as for his Stages tour of New York City.

As a teacher and scholar, Dr. John has served as guest lecturer in conducting at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany, and has presented seminars on American choral music in Basel and Stockholm. He has given presentations at both divisional and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States. His dissertation on Brahms won the Julius Herford Prize from the ACDA, and from 2011 to 2016 he served as editor of the scholarly journal American Choral Review, published biannually by Chorus America. He has also served as a member of ACDA’s National Research and Publications Committee.

Dr. John received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music. His prior appointments include Director of Choral Activities at both Tufts University (Boston, MA) and Nassau Community College (Garden City, NY), as well as Conducting Fellow at Dartmouth College. He received his Master of Arts in conducting from The Aaron Copland School of Music.