James Elias Pick is an active composer and pianist based in Southwest Washington. His performances take him across the Pacific Northwest as a music director and collaborative pianist in a variety of professional, academic, and community settings. He currently serves as the pianist for the choir program at Heritage High School in Vancouver, Washington, regularly traveling with their concert choir for performances. The ensemble has premiered several of his choral works. In addition, James performs with Male Ensemble Northwest as pianist and vocalist. James holds an M.M. in Performance with an emphasis in Collaborative Piano from Portland State University, and degrees in Piano Performance and Theory/Composition from George Fox University.
An award-winning composer and arranger, James specializes in choral and chamber works suited to high school and collegiate ensembles. His wide-ranging compositions reflect his diverse interests and adaptable style. The Tube, winner of the John “Jack” Kenneth Cole Composition Prize, was premiered by the Oregon Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra at Reed College in 2016. His score for the feature film Gabby’s Wish is available on Amazon Prime. He is a two-time recipient of George Fox University’s Iron Composer Award for Elegy for Solo Violin and Three Excursions for Solo Clarinet. Other credits include Pied Beauty (with arrangements for solo voice and piano, SATB choir and piano, and solo voice and concert band), a commissioned Cadenza for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 31, and co-composer of the musical O Little Town: Stories of Newberg, performed by Valley Repertory Theater in 2014.
A facile and sensitive performer, James enjoys sharing the stage with a wide variety of partners, ranging from sopranos to trombonists. He has been featured on All Classical Radio’s live Thursdays at Three program with baritone Benjamin Tissell and has shared the recital stage with internationally acclaimed baritone Richard Zeller. His collaborators have included flutist Dr. Sophia Tegart, saxophonist Nathanael Ankeny, and violist Dr. Rebekah Hanson. While completing his master’s, James was selected to perform for internationally renowned artists including Lawrence Brownlee, Dr. William Westney, Benjamin Appl, and Dr. David Riley. He is in frequent demand as a choral pianist across Oregon and Washington and has worked with leading choral composers and educators such as Eric Whitacre (Eric Whitacre Storms Portland), Dr. Ethan Sperry (Portland State University), Erich Lichte (Oregon State High School Honor Choir), and Dr. Danielle Warner (OMEA State Concert Performance), as well as Dr. Meg Stohlmann, Dr. Angela Kasper, Dr. Nicole Lamartine, and Dr. Geoffrey Boers (LCRMEA Honor Choirs).
James’s professional work in opera and musical theater is extensive. He recently performed Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appétit! with mezzo-soprano Christine Meadows. While at Portland State, he performed his own piano arrangement of Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias (2018) and served as coach and pianist for the 2017 production of Britten’s Albert Herring. He also performed in VOXnorthwest’s 2018 One Act Festival, featuring Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti and Duke’s Captain Lovelock. In musical theater, he works regularly as a music director, conductor, and pianist. Previous productions include Les Misérables, Newsies, Tuck Everlasting, The Addams Family, Bye Bye Birdie, Beauty and the Beast, The Music Man, Oklahoma, Into the Woods, and Annie. In 2014, James was recognized as conductor for Parade with the Outstanding Musicianship Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
One of his greatest joys is collaborating with fellow musicians—whether composing for outstanding performers, singing in choir, or supporting soloists and ensembles from the piano. When not at the keyboard, James enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with his wife and three children.
