James Shields
Chamber Music Instructor
Clarinet
James Shields joined the Oregon Symphony as Principal Clarinet in the fall of 2016. Before relocating to Portland, James served as principal clarinet of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, as well as the New Mexico Philharmonic in Albuquerque. During the summer, he can be heard as principal clarinetist and soloist of the Music in the Mountains festival in Durango, Colorado. A graduate of The Juilliard School, James studied with Ricardo Morales, principal clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra. James has appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Interlochen’s World Youth Symphony Orchestra (MI), and the Albuquerque Philharmonic (NM), and as guest principal clarinet with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival (CO), and Santa Fe Pro Musica (NM). In addition to his orchestral and solo activities, James is the co-artistic director of Chatter, an Albuquerque-based chamber music organization that presents more than 70 concerts per year.