I've always been fascinated by sound. Maybe that’s why in the fourth grade I signed up for percussion knowing I would get to make lots of sounds. This fascination would grow into my formal study of music, first in jazz, then classical music, and eventually a wide variety of styles. I didn't realize it at the time, but growing up in Hyde Park, New York and then South Florida allowed me to hear and experience a deep diversity of music and people. This wide mixture proved to be fundamental to my future as a composer.

After graduating from Northern Illinois University I began a gradual transition from performing to composing. More study at the University of Miami and the University of Texas at Austin led to realizing my own compositional voice and artistic values. Studying with composer Michael Colgrass also proved to be life changing in terms of craft and expanding what I thought was possible. Over time, I've noticed my reliance on structure, rhythmic energy, lyricism, and harmonic color that all strive to communicate the expression "the good, the true, and the beautiful". I recognize that "beautiful" does not have to mean pretty and "true" can embrace ambiguities. This has been my creative aesthetic throughout these works and represents a broad expressionism in the pursuit of wonder and mystery.

My hope is to continue to write music that has something to say, is thought-provoking, and reflects the human experience in all its diversity. I hope you find music here that speaks to you. It's been quite a journey from where I began.
- James Syler