With horn playing described by the Star Tribune as “deliciously mellow” and “captivating,” James Ferree joins the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as Principal Horn in 2024, and in the same year becomes the newest member of the American Horn Quartet. Having served as Principal Horn in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony, Ferree was also a member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and the New World Symphony. In 2023, Ferree performed as Guest Principal Horn on the NY Phil’s Asia Tour with Music Director Jaap van Sweden. He further served as Guest Principal Horn with orchestras such as the Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and the Vancouver Symphony, and he joined the LA Phil as Guest Associate Principal on the 2016 NY-European Tour with Music Director Gustavo Dudamel.

Ferree has been featured as soloist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Masterworks Festival, Music in the Mountains, New World Symphony, the Juilliard School, and more. An avid composer-arranger, Ferree’s compositions and arrangements enjoy performances across the country. In 2022, following the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s commission and premiere of his chamber orchestra arrangement of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the SPCO brought the hour-long work on tour to the Bravo! Vail Music Festival.

Ferree holds degrees from the Juilliard School, and his teachers include Richard Deane, Hermann Baumann, Jerome Ashby, and William Purvis. An Atlanta native, Ferree enjoys baseball, kayaking, and reading a good book over coffee. He is married to conductor Chia-Hsuan Lin.