Biography

James Minnix, DMA, is the Director of Bands and a Professor in the Music Education Department at Central Connecticut State University. In 2024, he accepted the position of conductor for the Greater Hartford Youth Wind Ensemble, comprised of high school students from Connecticut and Massachusetts. James completed his DMA in Instrumental Conducting under the supervision of Glen Adsit and Edward Cumming at the University of Hartford. From 2020–2023, he taught at the University of Hartford as an Adjunct Professor in the departments of Music Education and Music Theory. James returned to Amherst and conducted the UMass Concert Band for the fall semester of 2022, while his former teacher was on paternity leave. He currently holds the position of Assistant Conductor with the Gateway City Orchestra in Leicester, MA. James earned his master’s degree in Wind Conducting from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 2020, where he worked closely with both the Concert Band and Athletic Band programs. Before attending graduate school, he worked as a Director of Bands, teaching both middle school and high school programs around Richmond, VA. James earned his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. He currently lives in Simsbury, CT, with his wife Sara and their two fur children, Parker and Cooper.

Photo taken at our flat in Modica, Italy where I participated in the Frederick Fennell conducting competition in 2023.