James Boldin is an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and currently holds the Dr. William R. Hammond Professorship in Liberal Arts. At ULM he teaches applied horn and music history courses, and performs with Black Bayou Brass. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Appalachian State University. Prior to joining the faculty at ULM, he held positions at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as a Lecturer in Music and the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Teaching Assistant. He has performed and presented at the Southeast Horn Workshop and has presented clinics at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, the Louisiana Music Educators Association State Convention, and the South Central Regional Music Conference. Boldin’s major professors include Douglas Hill and Dr. Karen Robertson.
An active orchestral musician, he performs with the Monroe Symphony Orchestra as principal horn and the Rapides Symphony Orchestra as third horn, and has performed with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Lyric Opera, and Opera East Texas. He has also performed extensively with orchestras in Wisconsin, including the Madison, La Crosse, Green Bay, Manitowoc, and Oshkosh Symphony Orchestras, and with the Asheville Symphony in North Carolina. He has performed as soloist with the Camerata Chamber Orchestra in Madison, Wisconsin, and with the University of Louisiana at Monroe Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he has presented master-classes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Summer Music Clinic, at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.
Recording credits include two CDs on the Summit Records label, Soliloquies, featuring euphonium soloist Demondrae Thurman, and Forbes Plays Koetsier, featuring tuba soloist Mike Forbes. Additional recordings include James Dick Plays Edvard Grieg, with the Texas Festival Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta, and Overtures from Overture Hall, with the Madison Symphony Orchestra conducted by John DeMain. His articles have been published in The Instrumentalist Magazine and The Horn Call: The Journal of the International Horn Society, and his musical arrangements have been published by Cimarron Music Press. He also maintains a blog devoted to horn playing and teaching at http://hornworld.wordpress.com/. Boldin is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda and The International Horn Society, and currently serves as IHS area representative for the state of Louisiana. Click here to watch a YouTube video about the brass studios at ULM.
About this Site
These pages are intended for current horn students as well as students interested in studying the horn at ULM.
The Division of Music at the University of Louisiana Monroe is a part of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, and offers degrees in a wide variety of concentrations. Students choosing horn as their major instrument can choose from numerous degree offerings. Numerous funding opportunities are available for both graduate and undergraduate students, including talent grants and several graduate assistantships.
In addition to their weekly applied lessons, horn students can expect to play in a variety of large and small ensembles including the ULM Orchestra, ULM Wind Ensemble, ULM Horn Choir, brass quintets, woodwind quintets, and other small chamber groups.
Numerous other playing opportunities are also available in and around the Monroe area. Solo opportunities include the weekly student recital hour as well as a weekly horn studio class. This 90 minute class serves to supplement individual studio lessons, and allows the instructor to address specific playing and teaching concerns within a group format.
The Chamber Arts Brass trio is the faculty brass ensemble in residence at ULM, and offers students the opportunity to hear their instructors perform both traditional and contemporary brass ensemble literature.
If you have any questions or would like further information on horn study at ULM, please feel free to contact me by phone or email. I would be happy to set up a complimentary lesson with you if you are planning on visiting the ULM campus.
Contact Dr. Boldin
Email: boldin@ulm.edu
Office Phone: 318-342-1591
