James Ogburn is a US-born composer, conductor, theorist, and educator who began his musical career as a jazz and rock guitarist, primarily as a hobby. He pursued and completed degrees in Composition & Theory at Central Washington University (B.M.), and the University of Pittsburgh (M.A. & Ph.D.). Dr. Ogburn’s music has been featured at over a dozen festivals and on orchestral season programs throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. In 2015, he joined the faculty of the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, where he currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Composition and Theory.

James holds degrees in Composition and Theory from Central Washington University (BM) and the University of Pittsburgh (MA & PHD). He studied with Matthew Rosenblum, Eric Moe, Amy Williams, Roger Zahab, Eric Flesher, Marek Choloniewski, Woijcek Widlak, David Asplin, and Mark Polishook. As a masterclass participant, he has worked with Derek Bermel, Robert Beaser, Betsy Jolas, Daron Hagen, Harold Meltzer, John Eaton, David Felder, Charles Wuorinen, Roger Reynolds, John Harbison, Paul Moravec, Christopher Theofanidis, David Maslanka, Eve Beglarian, Alan Shockley, and Karim Al-Zand.

Dr. Ogburn’s works have been recorded, performed, and publicly read throughout Europe, the U.S., and Asia by the American Composers Orchestra, the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Ensemble Mosaik, red fish blue fish percussion ensemble, IonSound Project, ALIA MUSICA Pittsburgh, Flux Quartet, the Ying Quartet, the Krakow Academy Quartet, and many more.

James' music has been featured in national, regional, and international festivals, including World Saxophone Congress XVI, IDRS, Beijing Modern Music Festival 2013, June in Buffalo 2007, ACO/Penn Presents New Music, the Inaugural Asian Double Reed Association Conference, the Thailand International Composition Festival, the Fifth Annual Thailand Brass and Percussion Festival, the 2004 SCI National Student Conference, the Krakow Academy SME Thirty Year Anniversary Gala, and the U3 Festival.

Since 2005, Dr. Ogburn has taught over two dozen undergraduate and graduate course topics in music theory, analysis, aural skills, composition, ensembles, electro-acoustic music, orchestration, and counterpoint. From 2005 – 2008 James was a Teaching Fellow/ Assistant at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2009, he was the composition studio instructor for the Carnegie Mellon University Pre-College Program. From 2009-2015, Dr. Ogburn was Chair of Composition and Theory at the Mahidol University College of Music in Bangkok, Thailand. Currently, he teaches and coordinates the program in composition and theory at the Schwob School of Music, Columbus State University.

Dr. Ogburn's composition students have continued studies at several prominent universities, in various parts of the world, such as: the Royal Academy of Music (UK), the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (SG), the University of California Santa Cruz (US), and the Kunitachi College of Music (JP). His composition students have received awards from the Music Teachers National Association and have been selected as finalists for the 2016 IDRS Composition Competition, the Young Thai Artist Award (3 out of 4 years consecutively), finalist for the Goethe Institute – Young Composers of SE Asia Competition & Workshop, participation at the UMKC Composition Workshop, and a “Fulbright Young Scholars Fellowship.”

For his observations as a conductor, performer, and composer, James has adjudicated the Jean-Marie Londeix International Saxophone Competition IV, the 2013 Goethe Institute - Young Composers of SE Asia Competition & Workshop, the Thailand International Composition Competition, the Young Thai Artist Award (2010, 2011, & 2013), and the small ensembles class of the 2010 Thailand International Wind Ensemble Competition.
 
As an advocate for new opportunities for composers, he has created and/ or directed several projects including: the Young Thai Artist Award, the Mahidol Studio Prize (2013-15), and the IDRS 2016 Composition Competition.

Dr. Ogburn has received grants from Columbus State University, Mahidol University College of Music, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the K. Leroy Irvis Foundation, the University of Pittsburgh College of Arts and Sciences, the Central Washington University College of Arts and Humanities, and the Ronald McNair Scholarship fund. He has twice been named finalist for the American Prize (professional, orchestral composition category) and, in 2015, he was awarded Third Prize for his Concerto for Accordion & Orchestra. He was a finalist for the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society Commissioning Project, ALIA Musica Pittsburgh Composition Competition, and has been selected as a participant at numerous festivals and conferences.