James Beauton

Conductor and Percussionist James Beauton is currently the Director of Orchestra and Classical Music Studies at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco. 2023-24 marks his debut season as the Music Director and Conductor of the Winchester Orchestra of San Jose.

2023-24 guest conducting highlights include the California premiere of Nick DiBerardino’s Double Percussion Concerto with the Mission Chamber Orchestra of San Jose, and a performance of the Lord of the Rings Symphony with the Villa Musica Summer Orchestra in San Diego.

As a concert percussionist, James was the grand prize winner of the 2012 Southern California International Marimba Competition, and performed as a member of Steven Schick’s renowned percussion ensemble, red fish blue fish, from 2015-2020. As a soloist, James has performed some of the most demanding music in the percussion repertoire, including works of Stockhausen, Lachenmann, Manoury, Xenakis, Donatoni, Ferneyhough, and Grisey, among others, and has been a concerto soloist with the Michigan State University Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras, the Contemporary Chamber Players, and at the Stony Brook Day of Percussion. As a chamber musician, he has performed as a part of Monday Evening Concerts and the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Noon To Midnight Festival and is a founding member of the percussion trio Tala Rasa, where they commissioned several composers, including Alejandro Vinao. James earned his Doctorate in Contemporary Music Performance from UC San Diego, a Masters in Percussion from SUNY Stony Brook, and a Bachelors of Music from Michigan State University.

Equipped with a mastery of percussion playing, a theoretical background in media theory, and a robust practical application of recording technology, James’ scholarly work includes a published dissertation that explores the symbiotic connection of classical musicians and 21st century life.  James is a Yamaha Performing Artist.