James Sinclair

American conductor James Sinclair is the longtime music director of Orchestra New England. He is a noted authority on the music of Charles Ives and the author of an important catalog of that composer's works. Growing up in Washington, D.C., Sinclair earned a master's degree from the University of Hawaii and then moved to New Haven, Connecticut. He founded the Orchestra New England in 1972 and remained with it well into the 2020s. His programming with the orchestra is varied, ranging from Baroque music to pops concerts. He remains an important figure in scholarly Ives studies and is executive editor of the Charles Ives Society. Sinclair has conducted or performed the world premieres of 16 Ives works. Much of Sinclair's recording oeuvre is devoted to Ives, with an ongoing complete cycle of his orchestral music, including 2024's Charles Ives: Orchestral Works.