Article

James Kenneth Campbell

Published Online January 29, 2008

Last Edited December 16, 2013

James Kenneth Campbell, clarinetist, wind soloist, teacher (b at Leduc, Alta 10 Aug 1949). A graduate of University of Toronto (B. Mus 1971), Campbell was a member of the Hamilton Philharmonic (1967-69) and the NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA (1966-69).

Campbell, James Kenneth

James Kenneth Campbell, clarinetist, wind soloist, teacher (b at Leduc, Alta 10 Aug 1949). A graduate of University of Toronto (B. Mus 1971), Campbell was a member of the Hamilton Philharmonic (1967-69) and the NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA (1966-69). He subsequently studied at the Music Academy of the West, Santa Barbara, Calif. and in Paris 1971-73 with Yona Ettlinger. A semi-finalist in the Budapest International Clarinet Competition in 1970, Campbell won the CBC Talent Festival and the Jeunesses Musicales International Clarinet Competition in Yugoslavia in 1971. His career developed rapidly as a recitalist and chamber musician.

A versatile artist, Campbell excels in the classical jazz genre. He has performed with many eminent artists, including Glenn GOULD, Aaron Copland, Janos Starker, as well as the Borodin Trio, Penderecki, Amadeus, Guarneri, Fine Arts, Allegri, Manhattan, and Colorado String Quartets. A frequent guest in many of the world's great concert halls, Campbell has been a guest soloist with over 50 symphony orchestras, including the London, Toronto, Vancouver, and NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE orchestras. He tours with Classical Jazz and Da Camera and is artistic director of Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound, ON.

Campbell is the recipient of many awards and recognitions, including the Chalmers Award (1977), JUNO Award (1986), Roy Thomson Hall Award (1988), Canada Music Council Artist of the Year (1989) and the ORDER OF CANADA (1997). He has appeared on five television specials, more than 40 recordings, and over 30 commissioned works.

A noted teacher, Campbell has taught at the Chamber Music Institute of Ontario, J.J. Johannessen School of Music in Victoria, BC, Canadian Association of Youth Orchestras, Centre d'Arts Orford in Magog, Qué, BANFF CENTRE for the Arts, University of Toronto, Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and York University. From 1988 to present, Campbell has been professor of music at Indiana University.