James Song is a professional violinist and teacher based in the Tri-Cities, Washington. He has been playing and teaching violin since 2006 and recently moved to Washington in 2024. James first started playing violin at the age of five and has lived and played in the North Texas area for most of his life. James was the Music Director and founder of his own chamber program at the "Dallas Asian American Youth Orchestra," where he instructed young musicians on chamber playing from 2010 to 2020. During his time at DAAYO, he led his group to many national and local performance events. The program continues to this day under the guidance of Dallas Symphony musicians.

James is an avid teacher with many students in his studio who have been members of both the State and All-region orchestras; many of them have gone to pursue music careers of their own in composition, education, and performance. He attended school at the University of North Texas, where he studied with Philip Lewis and was a member of the UNT symphony orchestra. As a violinist, James played with the Sherman Symphony orchestra, where he held the position of principal second violin for 12 years. He was also the concertmaster of the New Texas Symphony Orchestra and has played with many different orchestras in the state of Texas and around the nation. James, an avid musical fan, held the concertmaster position for several musicals, from “Annie Get Your Gun” to “West Side Story”. In 2025, James began playing with the Mid-Columbia Symphony, where he plays in the 2nd violin section.

In 2015, James began establishing himself as a musician by performing chamber music at weddings and events. In the past, he played with Dallas Asian Strings as a member of their string quartet group. James also plays styles of music outside of classical and has been playing with the new age band 2002. He was a featured soloist in 2002's "Trail of Dreams" and Sarah Copus's "Wind on the Moor". In 2018, he was asked by 2002 to be part of their 18th full studio album "A World Away," in which he performs with Randy, Pamela, and Sarah Copus. It was featured at #4 in the Billboard top 100 for new age music. The album was also #1 in the OWMR charts for many weeks and won 5 awards that year, ranging from “Album of the Year” to “People’s Choice Award”. From 2020 to 2025, James founded Vanguard Strings, a quintet group of local musicians specializing in weddings and events. They have performed at the Mansions at Turtle Creek, The Joule, The DeGolyer House, and numerous other venues in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In 2023, they were invited to be part of Primrose School’s National conference and helped debut the song “I belong” for a live televised conference.