James Burton

James Burton (born 1974) is a British conductor and composer. He is currently the Boston Symphony Orchestra Choral Director and Conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. He also holds the position of Director of Orchestral Activities and Master Lecturer in Music at Boston University. Early life and education Born in London, Burton studied at Westminster Abbey Choir School and he became head chorister of the Choir of Westminster Abbey in 1987. He was awarded a music scholarship to Radley College, and a choral scholarship to St John's College, Cambridge, where his initial interest in conducting was encouraged by Christopher Robinson. Burton holds a master's degree from the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied orchestral conducting with Frederik Prausnitz and Gustav Meier. Conducting In February 2017 the Boston Symphony Orchestra appointed Burton as Choral Director, a newly created position, and Conductor of the orchestra's Tanglewood Festival Chorus. He gave his Boston Symphony subscription series debut in 2018, and in April 2019 he replaced an indisposed Gustavo Dudamel to conduct a series of concerts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Festival Chorus at Boston Symphony Hall. Burton gave his Boston Pops Orchestra debut with Holiday Pops concerts at Symphony Hall in December 2017, and his Tanglewood Festival debut was in June 2019 with a Boston Pops concert of the music of Queen with Marc Martel. Burton founded the Boston Symphony Children's Choir in 2018. Burton gave his debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico in 2016, and since then has been a frequent guest conductor. He led performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in the Palacio de Bellas Artes to celebrate the orchestra's 90th anniversary in 2018.