James Jacobson, Percussion/Timpani

James Jacobson is Principal Timpanist of the Richmond Symphony and the AIMS Summer Festival in Graz, Austria. He was Principal Timpanist of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra from 2013–15, and has performed with many orchestras, including the Czech Philharmonic, National Symphony (also on tour), Minnesota Orchestra, and the Jacksonville Symphony.

Mr. Jacobson also teaches at the College of William & Mary, VCU, and the International Percussion Festival in Patagonia, Argentina. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, a master's from the University of Minnesota, and a doctorate from the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University.

James enjoys traveling, languages, skiing, motorcycles, and being in the company of cats. Additionally, he produced pop music and played in the punk/rock band Big Fun in Los Angeles for a long time, spent several years living in Germany, Hawaii, and Japan, and ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.