James Lentini

About James Lentini

Award-winning composer and guitarist James Lentini is a recipient of the Segovia International Composition Prize, the McHugh Composition Prize, and the Bluffton University Choral Competition (first prize), in addition to awards from Meet the Composer and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). A CD of his works entitled James Lentini: Chamber Music has been released on the Naxos label's American Classics Series, and his music also appears on the Azica, Capstone, and CRS recording labels. His composition entitled The Four Seasons for classical guitar is published by Mel Bay in their Contemporary Anthology of Solo Guitar Music for Five Fingers of the Right Hand. Lentini’s works have been performed by distinguished solo artists such as guitarist William Kanengiser and is recorded by ensembles that include the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra, The Rawlins Piano Trio, and the St. Clair Trio. Members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra have regularly performed his works, and commissions include those for the Hanson Institute for American Music, the Plymouth Symphony, and the Rawlins Piano Trio. He has participated as a juror in the Segovia International Guitar Competition in La Herradura, Spain, and he has been a Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome. In 2013, Dr. Lentini was named Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Oakland University (Rochester, MI). Prior appointments include the position of Dean and Professor of Music of the College of Creative Arts at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio from 2007-2013, Founding Dean of the School of the Arts and Communication at The College of New Jersey (2003-2007), and Acting Chair, Associate Chair, and Professor of Music at Wayne State University (1988-2003).