James Fellenbaum enjoys a diverse career as a conductor, equally at home in symphonic and chamber orchestra repertoire, Pops, ballet, opera, choral-orchestral works, and film with live orchestra. 

Now in his 18th season as Resident Conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, James leads a wide range of performances across the orchestra’s programming. His repertoire with the KSO spans from the complete Brandenburg Concerti to orchestral music from Wagner’s Ring Cycle.  A frequent conductor on the Pops series, he has collaborated with artists including Kenny G, Chris Botti, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Ann Hampton Calloway, Steve Lippia, The Indigo Girls, and The Midtown Men, along with tribute programs and Cirque de la Symphonie. He also regularly conducts Film with Live Orchestra performances, including Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Through the KSO’s Education and Community Partnership Program, he leads concerts throughout east Tennessee and southwest Virginia, including Side-by-Side and Young People’s Concerts serving 10,000 students annually.

Since 2018, James served as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Brevard Philharmonic, NC. Since 2010, James has served as Music Director of the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Association, which includes six ensembles. In 2018, the Youth Orchestra won First Prize at the National Orchestra Festival and Third Prize in The American Prize Youth Orchestra Division for the 2017–2018 season.

James has been Director of Orchestras at the University of Tennessee since 2003, overseeing the Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Contemporary Music Ensemble, and UT Opera Theatre. Under his leadership, the program has earned statewide recognition and participated in PBS recording projects including Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People and The Truth about Trees.

James holds degrees from James Madison University and Northwestern University and has studied conducting with Victor Yampolsky, Cliff Colnot, David Zinman, Murry Sidlin, Pinchas Zukerman, and Jorma Panula.