James Fellenbaum is the Music Director and Conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra, a position he’s held since 2010. He joined the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra during the 2006- 2007 season and is currently the Resident Conductor. He serves as cover conductor for the KSO’s subscription series and conducts a variety of concerts with the KSO including Outreach and Young People’s Concerts. He is a frequent conductor on the KSO’s Pops series, and excels in Film with Live Orchestra concerts, including recent presentations of The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Home Alone, and Mary Poppins.

James is the Director of Orchestras at the University of Tennessee (UT), a position he has held since 2003. He oversees and conducts the Orchestra Program, which includes the Symphony Orchestra – winner of the 2023 American Prize in orchestra performance, large ensemble program – Chamber Orchestra, Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the Opera Orchestra.

James is the Principal Guest Conductor with the longtime symphonic show Bugs Bunny at the Symphony. He has led the show with orchestras around the world, including recent engagements with FILMhamonique in Montreal, Canada, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Canada, the San Francisco Symphony, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australia, the l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, Switzerland, the Nashville Symphony, and the famous Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Also, the 2025-2026 season marks his eighth year as Music Director of the Brevard Philharmonic, NC. Concerts include Classical, Holiday, Pops, and Music in the Schools programs, which have been met with critical and popular acclaim.