James Spinazzola

James Spinazzola is an active conductor, ensemble clinician, arranger, and saxophonist. In addition to conducting the Cornell Wind Symphony and directing the wind program, he teaches courses in undergraduate conducting, music theory, and chamber music on a rotating basis. In 2026, he received the Stephen & Margery Russell Distinguished Teaching Award from the College of Arts & Sciences.

James hosted the 2024 Eastern Division conference of the College Band Directors National Association, and the Eastern Division conferences invited the Cornell Wind Symphony (CWS) to perform in 2018 and 2022. On behalf of the CWS, James has commissioned and premiered over 30 compositions in the last ten years, including those by Byron Adams, Tyson Ghoulston Davis, Sydney Guillaume, Catherine Likhuta, David Maslanka, Christopher Rouse, Dana Wilson, and Mark Winges. 

Through his extensive catalog of arrangements, James has expanded the contemporary wind band repertoire and fostered fruitful on-campus residencies with a diverse collection of high-profile artists and ensembles, including Splinter Reeds, Michael Abels, Tania León, Wynton Marsalis, David Maslanka, Joshua Redman, Yosvany Terry, and Patrick Williams. The CWS collaborations with Michael Abels and Wynton Marsalis were featured in the College of Arts & Sciences' annual Arts Unplugged series.

Publishers of James' music and writings include Alfred Music, Boosey & Hawkes, GIA, Gorilla Salad, Mark Records, Routledge, Scarecrow, and Subito. Ensembles under his direction premiered his arrangements and transcriptions of music by Michael Abels, John Adams, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Dave Grusin, Tania León, Wynton Marsalis, Amadeo Roldan, and Roberto Sierra, among many others. He has conducted throughout the U.S. and in eight countries and presented his research in a variety of contexts, including the Midwest International Band & Orchestra Clinic, multiple CBDNA conferences, and lectures in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia. James led the Cornell Wind Symphony on community-engaged performance tours of Cuba (2024) and of Haiti and the Dominican Republic (2019, 2017), and has built lasting, reciprocal partnerships with multiple community organizations. Stemming from those initiatives, James authored Community-Engaged Performance Tours: A Handbook for Ensemble Directors and Educators (Routledge, 2023), which is a guide for ensemble directors and educators interested in leading similar projects.

James has been a Cornell Engaged Faculty Fellow and has received multiple grants from the Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation, the Center for the Humanities, the Council for the Arts, and the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement. Most recently, he co-wrote a software application that enables undergraduate students to practice movements and gestures with virtual reality headsets. James also earned two grants from the Central New York Humanities Corridor for founding Banding Together, a program that fosters interactions between college wind ensembles and composers from historically underrepresented populations. Through this initiative, Cornell has partnered with the Syracuse University Wind Ensemble, conducted by Professor Bradley Ethington, and the Eastman Conservatory Wind Ensemble, conducted by Professor Mark Scatterday.

Before his current post, James was an associate professor at the University of Indianapolis and an assistant professor at Tennessee Tech University. He holds degrees from Duquesne University (BS), the University of Colorado (MM), and Louisiana State University (DMA).