about

James Dawson is a musician from Cincinnati, Ohio. He grew up playing piano and flute, and his love of storytelling led him to start writing his own music at the end of high school. He tends to write programmatic music, whether the program is as broad as an idea or a vignette from his life, or as specific as a character in a book.

James currently studies at Berklee College of Music and will graduate with a Bachelor’s of Music in Contemporary Writing and Production in May 2026. During his time at Berklee, he has frequently written and arranged for large ensembles and orchestras. His work has been performed at shows in the Berklee Performance Center and the Huntington Theatre. He recently received a CWP Achievement Award from his department, based on faculty nomination and academic excellence.

At Berklee, James’s interest in project management and concert and artistic operations led him to the World Music Scoring Association, a student-run organization that provides education to composers in the Berklee community on how to write and score authentically for instruments, styles, tonalities, and techniques outside of the Western Classical Tradition. James has served as the Director of Finances for WMSA since January 2025. In addition to hosting weekly speakers like Austin Wintory, Tina Guo, Michael Giacchino, and students from the Berklee community, WMSA hosts a semesterly concert that premiers new works by student composers that incorporate world music. The organization’s concerts have continued to grow each semester, with the upcoming Spring 2026 concert taking place in the Main Sanctuary at Old South Church in Boston.

James will continue working in a similar position when he joins the Cincinnati Opera as the new Artistic Operations Intern for their 2026 Summer Festival. He is excited to return to Cincinnati, Ohio and become a part of the rich local tradition of the arts in his hometown.

Outside of music, James is a photographer and videographer. He has worked for the Berklee Video Services department for over two years as a camera operator, PTZ operator, stream engineer, and director of live multi-camera video shoots. He regularly directs shoots at venues like the Red Room at Cafe 939 and the David Friend Recital Hall. He sometimes works as a post-production mix engineer of live performances at Berklee.

As a volunteer, James works with CISV International, a non-profit peace organization dedicated to children’s education on conflict resolution, diversity, human rights, and sustainability. Most recently, he was a staff member of a Village program in the Smoky Mountains, living for a month at the campsite in Tennessee. In high school he served as the Local Junior Representative of the Cincinnati chapter, and on the National Junior Branch Board as the chair of the National Service Working Project. Peaceful conflict resolution and education are very important to him.