James is currently in his second year of training at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) under the tutelage of Adam Chalabi. In 2023 he studied with Sophie Rowell.
He obtained a Bachelor of Music Performance with Honours from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he studied with Janet Davies and was the recipient of the Ted and Susan Meller Memorial Scholarship Fund.
James enjoys a versatile career, performing on both modern and baroque violin. Most recently, James was selected as one of the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s 2024 Emerging Artists, which he particularly looks forward to this year. He performs regularly with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and has recently performed with Pinchgut Opera, Australian Haydn Ensemble, Sydney Philharmonia, Muffat Collective, the Nomad String Quartet and the Melbourne Baroque Orchestra. James was a member of the Sydney Youth Orchestra (SYO) for seven years and was the concertmaster of the Flagship Orchestra in 2021. He has held principal positions in programs with the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) and with the Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and Opera Orchestra. In 2019, James was honoured to have been the inaugural recipient of the Austria Scholarship from SYO and the Austrian National Tourist Office.
As a passionate chamber musician, James was the Convenor of Chamber Music at St Andrew’s College and formed the ‘Forelle Ensemble’, a Sydney-based piano quintet, which toured in Sydney, regional NSW and ACT in 2021. James has performed in masterclasses with highly acclaimed musicians including Luka Ljubas, Jan Pospichal, Anne Harvey-Nagl, Wayne Foster-Smith, Louis Creac’h, Julia Fredersdorff, Midori Gotō, Shunsuke Sato, Anthony Marwood, the Brodsky Quartet and Leila Schayegh.
When James has a moment away from the violin, he can usually be found out on a walk somewhere or trying the new local cafe or wine bar.
FROM: Sydney, NSW. Lands of the Cammeraygal people.
James is fully supported by ANAM Syndicate donors the Anthony and Sharon Lee Foundation
James Armstrong plays an A.E Smith violin jointly owned by ANAM and Janet Homes a' Court AC. It was purchased for ANAM with the support of Christina Katsimbardis, and with donations from Gilbert George, George Georgiou, Peter Ingram, Maria Kailis and an anonymous benefactor
Photo by Pia Johnson.