About James

James Aldous is a British-American clarinetist and bass clarinetist. He made his BBC Proms solo debut at age 17, with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain in the world premiere of The Garden of Earthly Delights by Michael Berkeley, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich, broadcast live on BBC 2 and Radio 3 from the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Now based in California, James performs regularly with ensembles including Diablo Symphony Orchestra, Redwood Symphony, Nova Vista Symphony, and Left Coast Chamber Ensemble. His artistic interests center on contemporary chamber music, recording for film, television, and media, and expanding the repertoire for clarinet and bass clarinet through collaborative partnerships with today’s composers.

He served as principal and solo clarinetist with the Hollywood Studio Orchestra, recording Hollywood Collection Two at Warner Bros. Studios, released in 2026. The album features film music by Bernard Herrmann, Scott Bradley, and Hans Zimmer. James also recorded alongside 10-time Grammy Award winner Arturo Sandoval in a new score arrangement of For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story. He appears on the forthcoming Hollywood Collection Three compilation, featuring music by Alan Silvestri, Michael Giacchino, and John Williams.

He was selected as an Artist for the Akropolis Chamber Music Institute in 2026, where he gave the world premiere of a new reed ensemble arrangement of Snapshots by Pascal Le Boeuf, and a world premiere of Undercurrent by Dayton Hare for low reed ensemble.

James holds a Recital Certificate with Honors from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Cambridge, where he held a music instrumental award, and has studied with Mark van de Wiel, David Campbell and Dr Chris Morgan. He has pursued further study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Bass Clarinet Intensive Program, studying with Jeff Anderle, Stefanie Gardner, Jonathan Russell, and Jerome Simas.

He was awarded First Prize in the Solo Competition at the International Clarinet Association’s Low Clarinet Festival in 2025. He reached the regional final round of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, and won First Prize in the Cornwall Young Musician of the Year competition. James is a member of ASCAP, the American Federation of Musicians (Local 6), the International Clarinet Association, and Chamber Musicians of Northern California.

In addition to his performing career, James is an accomplished communications leader and strategist, having led communications and creative teams in the UK and US for organizations including Apple, Salesforce, and Shakespeare’s Globe. He was recognized by PR Week Magazine as one of the most entrepreneurial in-house communications professionals in the UK for his work with non-profit Thames21. He serves on the Advisory Board of the University of San Francisco’s School of Management.