Dr. James Sherry has directed high school and college honor bands across the United States. He has performed as a trumpeter in Orchestra Hall in Chicago, the Lincoln Center in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the Gold Coast Casino in Las Vegas, and the Hanoi Jazz Club in Vietnam. He has performed in 49 of the 50 United States, with the Baltimore Symphony, street bands in New Orleans, mariachi festivals in Chicago, and on tours with the Russ Morgan Orchestra and the Monumental Brass Quintet. He and his sister, Diana Sherry, gave a trumpet and organ concert tour of German cathedrals, and he presented duo recitals in Canada, the US, and throughout Southeast Asia with pianist Bang Lang Do. He is the co-principal trumpet of the Peninsula Symphony and performs with the Street Symphony on Skid Row in Los Angeles.

James Sherry has worked as a community youth organizer in New York City, as a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools, and as a clinician for Young Audiences and Columbia Artists. In addition, he taught music for over twenty years at the Johns Hopkins University, Mahidol College of Music in Thailand, and the University of Dubuque, in Iowa, His students have advanced to the semi-finals of national solo competitions, and achieved first chair seats in All-State Bands, Orchestras, or Jazz bands in the states of Iowa, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Vermont. Many went on to earn scholarships at schools such as Oberlin, Indiana University, New England Conservatory, the Curtis Institute, and the Juilliard School in New York City. Dr. Sherry wrote a widely cited dissertation on brass teaching and he has served as a judge several times for the International Trumpet Guild Youth Solo Competitions.

An active voice for new music, he was the Executive Director and orchestral contractor for Chicago’s CUBE Contemporary Ensemble. He recently released Rendez-Gnu: The ConCorDance Project, a CD of his music compositions. He holds degrees from Yale University, the Peabody Conservatory, Illinois State University, and the Longy School of Music, where he earned his California teaching credential. He teaches elementary music with Santa Ana Unified School District, where he was named “teacher of the year” in 2024.