James Ackley, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio is an International Trumpet Solo Artist. His numerous solo appearances have included orchestras, wind ensembles and chamber groups in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, and Ecuador, among other countries. Mr. Ackley has also performed as a recitalist in South America, North America and throughout Europe. He is currently under Andes International Management.

James received his B.M. from Baldwin-Wallace College and his M.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music. At the present time, he is Professor of Applied Trumpet Studies at the University of Connecticut. He is also the director of the Brass Department and performance Department as well as the conductor of both the UConn Trumpet Ensemble and the UConn Brass Ensemble. Previously he has held positions as principal trumpet and soloist with orchestras throughout Latin America and the United States.

While a member of the Bogota Philharmonic, James founded the National Trumpet Conference in Colombia. This Conference was held for the first time in April 2001 and James is invited to host the next conference in the fall of 2003. He has performed with the Dayton Philharmonic, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, American Ballet Theater Orchestra, Moscow State Radio Symphony, and served as assistant principal trumpet of the Young-stown Symphony. As a member of the Youngstown Symphony he also served on the adjunct faculty staff at the Youngstown State University-Dana School of Music and performed throughout the mid-west with the faculty brass quintet, while a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

His teachers have included Michael Sachs (principal trumpet of the Cleveland Orchestra), James Darling (member of the Cleveland Orchestra), David Zauder (former member of the Cleveland Orchestra), Mary Squire (former principal trumpet of the Ohio Chamber Orchestra) and Alan Siebert of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He has participated in masterclasses with such artists as Eric Aubier (French Solo Artist), Philip Smith (New York Philharmonic), and the Empire Brass Quintet.

James has recorded various CDs with many of Latin America's top Symphony Orchestras as well as numerous television, radio and movie scores. He has performed with musicians such as Enrique de Patron, Placido Domingo, Fito Paez, James Levin, Zubin Mehta, Jah- Jah Ling, Leonard Bernstein, Sir George Solti, Francisco Rettig, and Louis Lane. Mr. Ackley has appeared as a guest artist on the "Music for Everyone" program of the Bogota Philharmonic and on Venezuelan and Uruguayan national television and radio broadcasts.

His arrangements of Latin American music for Brass Quintet and percussion are available through Solid Brass Music Publishing Co. and the Hidalgo Music Co. James maintains an active performance schedule, performing as a soloist all over the globe. He frequently performs with groups such as the New Haven Symphony, New Britain Symphony and the Constitution Brass Quintet.

An article about James Ackley, Trumpets are his life, was published in the Journal Inquirer on February 4, 2005.