Lara James

Lara James is a saxophonist known for her work as a collaborative musician and soloist. She has established herself as a musician with a busy and varied portfolio career ranging from recital, chamber, orchestral and band performances to lecturing, and performs across a variety of musical genres from contemporary classical to alternative. She has performed as a concerto soloist and recitalist throughout the UK, while freelance recording work includes sessions for radio, BBC TV and CD recordings and appearances with numerous major orchestras in the UK. Lara has toured with big bands, orchestras, pop/alternative bands and opera companies, and the organisations she has worked with include the Welsh National Opera, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera North, Liverpool Philharmonic, Cape Town National Opera, Cornelius Cardew Ensemble, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and others. 

Lara’s debut CD ‘Facades’ on the Signum Classics label was chosen as 'Presenter’s Choice’ for Instrumental and Chamber Music in Classic FM Magazine, May 2009 and has received airplay and reviews worldwide. Lara has just recorded a new four movement work for saxophone and harp with renowned harpist Hugh Webb (soloist, chamber musician and principal harpist with the Philharmonia Orchestra). This work will be released in the near future, on a disc featuring the chamber music of Ian Lawson. She works regularly with internationally acclaimed musicians Jeremy Young (piano) and Kathryn Price (cello). As a recitalist she has been broadcast around the world including the UK (BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, Ireland’s RTE Lyric FM) in the USA (NPR) and on ABC Classic FM Australia. 

Lara is grateful for the support of the Arts Council of Wales towards recording a second CD in 2011, which promises to be a stylistically diverse project featuring new artist collaborations, and Lara has worked towards securing commissions and new arrangements by British composers. This recording will also be released on the Signum Classics label, in early 2012. 

A keen interest in the saxophone in chamber music contexts prompted Lara to found 'Triquetra', a saxophone, cello and piano trio with Kathryn Price and Rachel Ramos, and the trio is attracting the attention of composers in the UK and abroad wanting to write new works for the group or have their existing works performed .

In summer 2010, she co-founded the all-female saxophone quartet 'Resonance' with Dr. Angela Space. Quartet members are based London-Oxford-Cardiff and the ensemble is versatile in its programming and instrumentation which, although utilises a basic core of the saxophone family, features the possibility to also include piano, clarinets and bass clarinet. More information will be available online in early January 2011 when the quartet web site goes live. (www.resonancesaxes.com )

Lara teaches saxophone at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, where she also coaches chamber music, directs the Saxophone Choir and occasionally lectures in teaching skills and mentors students through dissertation topics. She teaches saxophone at the RWCMD Department of Junior Music and Access Studies and is in demand as an adjudicator for national youth music competitions and college auditions and as a coach for national youth music organisations.

Having studied at the Royal Northern College of Music gaining her degree and professional performance diploma, Lara won a scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music where she became graduate assistant to the esteemed performer, musicologist and saxophone historian Dr. Paul Cohen. Following a period of study in the USA Lara went on to complete her Masters degree in musicology at the University of Manchester, where her specialist research area was ‘The Saxophone in Britain, c. 1860 - 1960’ and hopes to further pursue various research interests in years to come. 

Lara James endorses Gonzalez Reeds and is a Gonzalez performing artist. 

Please see further information at www.larasax.com  including press quotes, concert reviews and forthcoming concerts and projects.