Dr. Aaron James

Biography

Aaron James is the Director of Music at the Toronto Oratory of St Philip Neri and a Sessional Lecturer in organ at the University of Toronto. He plays the organ at Holy Family Parish and directs choirs for Masses and Vespers on Sundays and feast days, while also teaching music students at St Philip’s Seminary. An alumnus of the Eastman School of Music, he holds a PhD in musicology and a DMA in organ performance. James is a 2011 winner of the National Organ Playing Competition by the Royal Canadian College of Organists and has won numerous prizes in organ performance including the Florence Stanley Osborne Organ Competition and the Howard Fairclough Organ Competition. He was a finalist in the 2012 Franz Schmidt International Organ Competition in Kitzbühel, Austria. James regularly performs as an organ recitalist and collaborative musician, with recent appearances at the Toronto Bach Festival and the Pacific Baroque Festival. He is performing complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach in a series of sixteen recitals at Holy Family Church. His musicological research focuses on Renaissance vocal polyphony, with articles published in various journals. James is also the editor of the 'Parish Book Motets', a printed collection designed to introduce sacred polyphony to small parish choirs, with further publications expected.

Research Interests