James Fellenbaum is in his eleventh year as the Music Director and Conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra. He joined the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra during the 2006-2007 season as a Guest Conductor, before becoming Resident Conductor in 2008. His duties with the KSO include serving as cover conductor for the KSO’s subscription series, and conducting Outreach, Pops and Young People’s Concerts. Also, Maestro Fellenbaum has been the Director of Orchestras at the University of Tennessee since the Fall of 2003. The UT Orchestra Program includes the Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra (founded in 2004), Opera Orchestra, Studio Orchestra and the Contemporary Music Ensemble (founded in 2006).

In May 2018, Maestro Fellenbaum was named Artistic Director and Conductor of the Brevard Philharmonic (NC), with his first season occurring during the 2018-2019 season. He has conducted orchestras nationally and internationally, including recent guest conducting engagements with the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic (PA), Springfield Symphony (MA), Asheville Symphony (NC), Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Orange County Symphony, American Youth Philharmonic, the Symphony of the Mountains, the Satu-Mare State Philharmonic and Sinfonia Bucharest Orchestra of Romania, and the Russe Philharmonic and Vidin Philharmonic of Bulgaria. Maestro Fellenbaum was invited to the 2006 First International Gennady Rozhdestvensky Conductors Competition, where he was a top 5 Finalist out of 112 conductors from 26 countries around the world.

Maestro Fellenbaum holds a Bachelor of Music degree in violoncello performance from James Madison University in Virginia and holds a double Masters degree in violoncello performance and orchestral conducting from Northwestern University.