James Blair was born in Scotland. He studied in London with Bernard Keefe, Sir Adrian Boult and in Italy with Franco Ferrara, winning numerous awards, including the Ricardi Conducting Prize and an Italian Government Scholarship to study in Sienna, Rome and Venice.
He has been conductor of the Young Musicicians Symphony Orchestra since 1971, and has worked with many orchestras in this country and abroad, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia, San Jose Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Orchestra Sinfonica de Euskadi in San Sebastian, Spain and the Camerata of St Petersburg.
