Biography

James was born in New Zealand but grew up in Perth, Western Australia. He completed a Bachelor of Music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) where he wrote and performed music for numerous theatre, dance, film and television productions.

His rich orchestral and ensemble performance experiences as a cellist, including international tours with the state youth orchestra as principal cellist, have been invaluable in informing both his compositions and orchestrations.

In 2003 James attended the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) to study the Graduate Diploma of Screen Composition. He was accepted as one of only four composers into the year-long course. He completed his studies and received the Critic's Circle Award for Best Score for a 2004 AFTRS film for his work on the internationally successful Birthday Boy.

In 2004 James was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Sound in a non-Feature for Birthday Boy and an APRA AGSC Screen Music Award for Best Music in a Short Film for Black Berries. A full list of awards and nominations can be viewed on the Credits page.

James was also the first Australian to attend the European American Music Alliance (EAMA) summer composition program in Paris in 2005.

James continues to work in the music, film and television industries in the diverse roles of composing, orchestrating, copying and performing.