James Beauton

James Beauton is a conductor and percussionist currently serving as the Director of Orchestra and Classical Music Studies at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco. He is also a faculty member at San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Conservatory Pre-College. His career spans performance, education, and collaborative projects in contemporary music.

• Doctorate in Contemporary Music Performance from UC San Diego
• Master’s in Percussion from SUNY Stony Brook
• Bachelor’s of Music from Michigan State University

As a performer, James has collaborated with ensembles such as red fish blue fish (2015–2020) and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, focusing on modern compositions and innovative transcriptions. His research interests align with expanding percussion techniques and orchestral conducting pedagogy.

He has been recognized with the Grand Prize at the 2012 Southern California International Marimba Competition and holds a partnership as a Yamaha Performing Artist.

Notable collaborations include:

• Co-creating the live performance score for DreamWorks’ She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Symphonic Suite with composer Sunna Wehrmeijer
• Conducting the Nick DiBerardino Double Percussion Concerto
• Performing Pierre Boulez’s Repons with Steven Schick