James Strauss (b. November 29, 1974

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

) is a Brazilian

flautist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

and

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

Biography

Strauss began taking violin lessons from his father when he was four years old, but switched to the flute a few years later. He graduated from the

Paris Conservatory The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

with

Pierre-Yves Artaud Pierre-Yves Artaud (born 13 July 1946) in Paris, is a French classical flautist.Pierre-Yves A ...

, Maurice Pruvot, and Lazslo Hadadi. Concurrently he studied Flute with

Jean-Pierre Rampal Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal (7 January 1922 – 20 May 2000) was a French flautist. Rampal popularised the flute in the post–World War II years, recovering flute compositions from the Baroque era, and spurring contemporary composers, ...

. His career as a flute soloist started in 1991 with his performance with the Festival Orchestra of the 23rd Music Festival in

Campos do Jordão Campos do Jordão () is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in southeastern Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. The population is 52,405 (2020 est.) in an area of . The city is situated above ...

, conducted by

Júlio Medaglia Júlio Medaglia (born 1938) is a Brazilian composer, arranger, and conducting, conductor. Born in São Paulo (city), São Paulo, he studied theory and conducting with Hans-Joachim Koellreutter. He continued his studies at the Hochschule für Musi ...

. In 1999, he moved to

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, and began looking for

Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

's legendary "Flute Concerto", of which Rampal had seen a page in the 1960s in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. He eventually found three pieces of the original composition (one in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, one in Finland, one in

Klin KLIN (1400 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. It is licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, and is owned by NRG Media. The studios are in Broadcast House at 44th Street and East O Street ( U.S. Route 34). KLIN i ...

) and reconstructed from them the Concertstück for Flute, TH 247, now catalogued as a posthumous work by Tchaikovsky. From 2017 to 2020 James Strauss publishes the albums Mozart Discoveries, Latin Connections, Venezuelan Elegy, produced by Danilo Alvarez

Appearances

Strauss has performed with leading symphony and chamber orchestras in Japan, Israel, Central and Western Europe, and Scandinavia. He has also performed at venues including the Châtelet in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Suntory Hall The is a concert venue in the central Akasaka district of Tokyo, Japan. Part of the Ark Hills complex, it consists of a main concert hall, widely considered one of the finest in the world for its acoustics – Herbert von Karajan called it “ ...

NJPAC The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in Downtown Newark in Newark, New Jersey, is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), more than nine million visitors (inclu ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Sala São Paulo The Júlio Prestes Cultural Center, which is located in the Júlio Prestes Train Station in the old north central section of the city of São Paulo, Brazil, was inaugurated on July 9, 1999. The building has been restored and renovated by the S ...

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, and at festivals in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. In January 2007, he appeared at the Orchestra Hall in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, with the Oxford Chamber Orchestra.

Commissioned concertos

René Gerber René Gerber (29 June 1908; Travers, Switzerland – 21 October 2006; Bevaix) was a Swiss composer. A student of Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger, among others, he taught at the Collège Latin (Neuchâtel) and became the director of the Conservatoire ...

, Solfa Carlile, Dimitri Cervo, Daisuke Soga, Kenny Choy, João Linhares, Antonio Ribeiro and Glenn Roger Davis have composed commissioned concertos for him; more are being composed.

Flute

His 14-carat gold flute was made by the

Powell Flutes Verne Q. Powell Flutes Inc. is a producer of professional flutes and piccolos since 1927. The company, located in Maynard, Massachusetts, produces handmade musical instruments in wood, silver, platinum, and gold. In 2016, Powell Flutes was purc ...

team.

Discography

Strauss has released two CDs with the

Israeli Virtuosi Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli (b ...

, and four more in 2007 with repertoire ranging from

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

to modern Brazilian music. He has also recorded the 24 Paganini Caprices, arranged for flute. *James Strauss Plays Beethoven
James Strauss, flute; Regina Glasunova, piano; Miyo Umezu, Violin; Olli Varonen, cello *Raiders of the lost Tchaikovsky (CD/DVD)
Heitor Villa-Lobos, Haydn, Paganini, Ponce, A. Tchaikovsky, P. Tchaikovsky, Dinicu, Rimsky-Korsakov
January 31 recording of The Oxford Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ricardo Averbach. *Made in Brazil
James Strauss, flute; Israeli Virtuosi; Ada Pelleg, conductor *Tchaikovsky Flute Concerto
James Strauss, flute; Israeli Virtuosi; Ada Pelleg, conductor *Portrait (CD sample 1999, Point Classics)
Vivaldi · Ribeiro · Gluck · Liebermann · Mercadante · Debussy · Randall
James Strauss, flute; Orquestra de Camara Theatro São Pedro, Capriccioso Chamber Orchestra, Antunes Câmera

Honors

*UFAM Concours International de flute, first prize, 1998 *UFAM Concours International de Chamber Music, first prize, 1999 *Concours International de flute de la Ville de Lempdes, first prize, 1997

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strauss, James 1974 births Living people Classical flautists