James N. Meador is currently plays bass trombone with the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra in Mérida, Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula. He previously held the same position with the Iris Chamber Symphony under conductor Michael Stern and the Acapulco Philharmonic. As an invited musician he has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Canton Symphony Orchestra, and many others in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Ohio, Illinois, and Mississippi.
A thrice former student of the Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado, James has served as bass trombonist with the Aspen Festival Orchestra and the Aspen Chamber Symphony as well as various other symphonies and ensembles at the institution. While there he also performed in a number of chamber ensembles, including the Castle Creek Brass Quintet, which performed for former President Bill Clinton and his guests at the Denver Summit of the Eight in 1997.
James was recently invited to compete as one of four semi-finalists in the National Solo Competition held at the Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, D.C. He was named runner-up in the competition winning the Vincent Bach Outstanding Musician Award. A native of Houston, Texas, he holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Trombone Performance from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, a Master of Music degree from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and additional Performance Studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio. His teachers include John Rojak, Tom Klaber, J. Mark Thompson, Randy Hawes, and Per Brevig.
Also a composer and arranger of low brass music, his pieces have been performed in the U.S., Europe, and Mexico.