James Spinazzola

James Spinazzola is an active conductor, ensemble clinician, arranger, and saxophonist. In addition to directing the Cornell wind program, he teaches various courses on a rotating basis, including undergraduate conducting, music theory, and chamber music. He also serves as a faculty adviser to CU Winds, a student-driven organization devoted to performing and promoting wind band music.

James hosted the 2024 Eastern Division conference of the College Band Directors National Association, and the Eastern Division conferences invited the Cornell Wind Symphony (CWS) to perform in 2018 and 2022. On behalf of the CWS, James has commissioned and premiered over 25 compositions in the last eight years, including those by Byron Adams, Sydney Guillaume, Kathryn Likhuta, David Maslanka, Christopher Rouse, Dana Wilson, and Mark Winges. He has also hosted on-campus collaborations with a diverse collection of high-profile artists, including Tania León, Wynton Marsalis, David Maslanka, Joshua Redman, Yosvany Terry, and Patrick Williams; as well as numerous artists and ensembles from the campus and local communities.

Publishers of James's music and writings include Alfred Music, Boosey & Hawkes, Gorilla Salad, Mark Records, Routledge, Scarecrow, and Subito; and ensembles under his direction premiered his arrangements and transcriptions of music by John Adams, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Dave Grusin, Tania León, Wynton Marsalis, Roberto Sierra, and Patrick Williams, among others. He has guest conducted throughout the U.S. and in eight countries and presented his research in a variety of contexts, including the Midwest International Band & Orchestra Clinic, multiple CBDNA conferences, and lectures in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia. James has led the Cornell Wind Symphony on community-engaged performance tours of Cuba (2024), Haiti, and the Dominican Republic (2019, 2017), and has built lasting, reciprocal partnerships with multiple community organizations. Stemming from those initiatives, James authored a book, Community-Engaged Performance Tours: A Handbook for Ensemble Directors and Educators (Routledge, 2023), which is a guide for ensemble directors and educators interested in leading similar projects. James is currently researching the use of XR technologies in undergraduate conducting construction.

James has been a Cornell Engaged Faculty Fellow and has received multiple grants from the Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation, Center for the Humanities, Council for the Arts, and the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement. He has also earned two grants from the Central New York Humanities Corridor for founding a working group called Banding Together. This group fosters interactions between college wind ensembles and composers from historically underrepresented populations. Through this initiative, Cornell has partnered with ensembles from Syracuse University and the Eastman Conservatory.

Before his current post, James was an associate professor at the University of Indianapolis and an assistant professor at Tennessee Tech University. He holds degrees from Duquesne University (BS), the University of Colorado (MM), and Louisiana State University (DMA).