James Frank, Philharmonic Conductor
A third generation musician and native Texan, James Frank graduated from the Juilliard School in 1981, where he studied applied French horn with James Chambers as a Rubenstein scholar.
As a French hornist, Mr. Frank enjoyed a six year career as Co-principal in the Columbus Symphony and a member of the Columbus Symphony Woodwind Quintet.
He has also performed with The National Orchestral Association and The Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York City, The Aspen Music Festival and Chamber Orchestras, the Sinfonia da Camera and Pro Musica Chamber Orchestras, The A.I.M.S. Orchestra in Graz, Austria, and as a Blossom Music Festival Fellow. Locally, he has performed with the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Richardson Symphony and the Plano Symphony Orchestra.
As an educator, Mr. Frank received his teaching certificate from the Ohio State University in 1987 and returned to Texas to lead the orchestras of Richardson High School, Vines High School and Plano Senior High School. In addition to being consistent sweepstakes winners at U.I.L. contest, orchestras under his direction were named “Best in Class” and “Grand Champion of Texas” three times by American Classic Music Festivals. In 1999, Plano Senior High School Chamber Orchestra was named the TMEA Honor String Orchestra for Texas. Mr. Frank has also worked as a Southern Association Evaluator and Region III Orchestra Chairman and continues to serve as a guest clinician, a panelist, TMEA All State Symphony brass coach and as a frequent adjudicator for U.I.L. and other major festivals.
As a conductor, Mr. Frank is in his twenty second season as director of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Philharmonic and also led the GDYO Sinfonietta for thirteen seasons. He has conducted the Dallas and Fort Worth Symphonies, and was the Youth Concert Series conductor for the Dallas Symphony for the 2008-2009 season. Mr. Frank has also served as director of orchestras at the Red Lodge Music Festival in Montana and as a guest conductor of the New Philharmonic of Irving and the Allen Philharmonic. He currently lives in Dallas with his wife Marilyn and daughter Lauren.
