James Strouse

Born in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania in 1975, James began composing and improvising at age thirteen, subsequently studying piano. Among his awards, James is a three-year winner of the Monroe County Arts Council Music Competition from 1989 to 1991, where he received critical praise for his music. In 1993, James began his composition studies at the D�Angelo School of Music at Mercyhurst College under the direction of Dr. Albert Glinsky, an American composer and award-winning author. After graduating in 1997 with his Bachelors Degree in Music Composition, James went on to direct church choirs while composing new works. As a composer, James claims inspiration from the works and spirit of Igor Stravinsky. James believes that music emerges from a primitive sense and communicates directly with the listener on a purely spiritual level. For this reason, its meaning can be interpreted and understood emotionally, but the message is encoded outside the realm of language.