James Dion Blanchard is Principal Flutist of the Opera San Jose orchestra. He held the position of Principal Flute with the Des Moines from 2019 to 2022, and has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Symphony San Jose, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Des Moines Metro Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

As a conductor, James has assisted Elinor Rufeizen and Nathan Aspinall at Symphony San Jose, and Ming Luke at the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra. He has participated in conducting masterclasses led by Matthew Lynch and Neil Thomson, and has received private instruction from Michael Mapp, the Associate Professor of Music at New Mexico State University. James is currently a member of the artistic staff of San Jose Chamber Orchestra.

A founding member of two award-winning woodwind quintets, James received Bronze Medals at the 2016 and 2018 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competitions. As a soloist, James has won prizes in the New York Flute Club’s young artist competition, the Texas Music Festival young artist competition, and was a prize winner in the 2019 Keston MAX competition.

James studied at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Robert Langevin, and at Rice University as a student of Leone Buyse. He is a native of Las Cruces, New Mexico.