James Barnes
James Barnes’ contribution to the band repertoire over the last half century can hardly be overstated. His numerous works for concert band and orchestra are extensively performed throughout the world, in such venues as Tanglewood, Boston Symphony Hall, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow and the Tokyo Metropolitan Concert Hall. Barnes twice received the coveted American Bandmasters Association Ostwald Award, while he has been the recipient of annual ASCAP Awards for composers of serious music for over 30 years, along with other numerous honors and grants. The world-famous Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra recorded three compact discs of his music. Barnes is distinguished by having received commissions from all five of the major American military bands in Washington, DC. James Barnes retired as Professor Emeritus of Music Theory and Composition at the University of Kansas in August 2015. He still resides in Lawrence, where he is now spending hi time composing, fishing and following his beloved Kansas City Royals.