James Abbott is a recording engineer, educator, audio technology consultant, and musician. He has engineered, edited, and mastered more than 50 commercially released recordings in various genres. His work can be heard on NPR, PBS, Centaur Records, New World Records, Composer's Recordings (CRI), Albany, GM, Sanctuary Classics (Black Box), Victor, Mark Records, Innova, Naxos, Koch Classics, Raven Records, Summit, Warner Brothers, and Endeavor Classics. His clients include many well known ensembles, organizations, and musicians, including the Syracuse Children’s Chorus, Boston Brass, Cassatt String Quartet, Corigliano String Quartet, Thomas Lanners, Glimmerglass Opera, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Civic Morning Musicals, Syracuse Society for New Music, Andrew Russo, David Cossin, and Hilary Hahn.

Widely considered to be a specialist in the recording of new music, he has recorded the work of many renowned composers, including Libby Larsen, Augusta Reed Thomas, Gabriela Franck, Ross Lee Finney, David Lang, Gunther Schuller, and John Corgliano. A recent project recording for Black Box Records, John Corigliano Violin Sonata Etude Fantasy with Andrew Russo, piano and Corey Cerovsek, violin (2007), received a Grammy nomination in the Best Chamber Music Recording category. In 2010, a project he engineered for the Syracuse Society for New Music released on Innova Records, Serendiptiy, won a 2010 Syracuse Area Music Award (SAMMY).

As an educator at Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music, he administers and teaches the audio recording technology curriculum for the school’s music industry and Bandier programs. Many of his alumni are now audio technology professionals in all disciplines of media, sound design, and music production.

Abbott’s current research focus is the adaptation of music production technology for persons with disabilities. Currently he is working on systems that will allow control of a recording studio’s computer systems via a tablet computer (such as Apple’s iPad) and plain speech voice commands. He envisions a day when audio production technology is fully accessible, so anyone can work as an audio engineer regardless of physical ability.

James holds a B.M. in music engineering from the University of Miami. He is married to Elizabeth, art educator and graduate of Syracuse University. They have two children, Keelin and Alexander. In his spare time he enjoys sailing Lake Ontario with his family, building and flying remote control model airplanes, and designing electro mechanical devices in his workshop.