James Erb was an American composer, arranger, musicologist, and conductor. The founding conductor of the Richmond Symphony Chorus, he led that group from 1971-2007 while also directing choral activities at the University of Richmond and serving for a time as chair of the music department. Erb is most broadly known for his arrangement of the folk song “Shenandoah,” and among musicologists for his editions of the magnificats of Orlando di Lasso, published by Bärenreiter.

Erb was born in La Junta, Colorado, and after serving in the US Army during World War II, he completed his undergraduate music education at Colorado College. He also studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, later earning a master's degree in voice at Indiana University School of Music and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Erb’s teaching career began at a junior high school in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Joining the University of Richmond faculty in 1954, he taught music and conducted the choirs and glee clubs, winning the Distinguished Educator Award three times before retiring in 1994. It was during this period that Erb made his arrangement of the folk tune “Shenandoah,” for a tour of Europe by the University of Richmond Choir.

In addition to the Richmond Symphony Chorus, Erb also conducted the group Chorus of Alumni and Friends of the University of Richmond (CAFUR). CAFUR's final concert took place in 1994, with the singing of Rachmaninoff’s Vespers.