James McFadden-Talbot

Violinist James McFadden-Talbot joined the Louisville Orchestra in 2018 and became Assistant Concertmaster in 2023. Solo highlights of his tenure so far include performing Vivaldi’s Spring Concerto from the Four Seasons with Teddy Abrams conducting, a concertmaster solo with Yo-Yo Ma, and a virtuosic fiddle cadenza in Blue Moon of Kentucky during the In Harmony Tour. James regularly participates in LO outreach and education initiatives including narrating children’s books set to music in Once Upon an Orchestra and premiering student solo and duo compositions for MakingMusic.

Outside of the LO, James performs in the NouLou Chamber Players, the Derby City Chamber Music Festival, and Duo Criquet. In addition to his work as a violinist, James is also a composer. The premiere of his latest commission can be heard at a NouLou performance this February.

James studied with Midori Goto at the University of Southern California where he won First Place in the 2018 Bach Solo Competition. He received a Master of Music degree in Germany from the Hamburg Hochschule für Musik und Theater with Tanja Becker-Bender. During his graduate years, he attended Tanglewood Music Center, and was a substitute in New World Symphony. Before college, he studied violin at the Colburn School of Performing Arts with Henry Gronnier while studying composition with Steven Stucky in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer Fellowship Program. His foundational teachers were Frank Becker, Cara Chang, and Philip & Natalia Vaiman.

Updated August 2023