Dennis James
Silent Film Accompanist
Research Fellow

Internationally renowned silent film accompanist, Dennis James, is a research fellow in the Film Studies Program who has collaborated with USC faculty on a variety of film music projects.  James has created and performed scores on multiple occasions for the Orphan Film Symposium and for a relatively new annual tradition each spring, a silent film screening event with live musical accompaniment that is free and open to the public.  James also shares his rare expertise in silent film music with students and faculty in smaller forums during his regular visits to campus.   

For overy thirty-five years Dennis James has played a pivotal role in the international revival of silent films with live music.  Starting as an accompanist for university screenings, James now tours worldwide under the auspices of his Silent Film Concerts production company presenting professional silent film screenings with piano, theatre organ, chamber ensemble and full symphony orchestra accompaniments.  Performing films with orchestras since 1971 throughout the U.S.A., Canada, Mexico and Europe, James is renowned for providing the most comprehensive selection of authentic silent films with live music presentations available today. 

A featured solo performer on the international film festival circuit, James appears regularly at the annual San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia events as well as the Pordenone and Rome (Italy) Festivals Cinema Muto.  He may be seen frequently at the National Gallery of Art, Walker Film Center in Minneapolis, Cleveland Cinematheque and Museum of Art film program, Chicago Art Institute,  Louvre Museum in Paris, and the Palazzo Delle Espisozioni in Rome.  James performs under the auspices of such organizations as the American Film Institute, National Film Registry, Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Library of Congress, Pacific Film Archive, George Eastman House, American Federation of the Arts, U.C.L.A. Film and Television Archive, Germany's Goethe Institut and the British Film Institute.  His solo silent film presentations have been seen throughout Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Italy, and England. 

"Theatre organist Dennis James is one of the only living musicians who understands what is musically, historically, and cinematically appropriate for silent films. Dennis James' choice of music (some of which is original) subconsciously guides the listener into many moods, tension, bliss, excitement, despair, terror, and hilarity. He is able to accomplish this while remaining correct for the period of the film. In other words, if Mr. James' performance had been played when the film was first exhibited, it would have been considered contemporary. He would never attempt to modernize the feeling of the period by creating a score that would clash."   

      - Peter Mintun, New York pianist and cultural historian 


"Silent films are a rare and precious art form of tremendous historical importance, and the art of live musical accompaniment to a silent film is a discipline of equally important historic value. Dennis James is both a musician of tremendous artistic scope and range, and a scholar who strives to preserve and restore this unique 20th century musical practice. He is without doubt the greatest practitioner of the art of solo silent film accompaniment. To witness a contemporary audience experience the beauty and power of silent film through the overwhelming symphonic dynamism that Dennis James unleashes with unerring skill on the theatre organ is an absolute revelation. He's a national treasure." 

      - Stephen Salmons, Artistic Director, San Francisco Silent Film Festival 
 
"Dennis James is the world's greatest silent film organ player." 

      - David W. Packard, The Stanford Theatre Foundation 

DENNIS JAMES - SILENT FILM CONCERTS
2008-2009 UPCOMING TOUR SCHEDULE

2008

January 15, Castro Theatre, San Francisco, California
Annual ‘Berlin & Beyond’ Film Festival silent film: Karl Valentin in THE
ODDBALL (1929)

January 26, Rose Theatre, Port Townsend, Washington
Two piano-accompanied screenings of Ramon Novarro in THE STUDENT PRINCE IN
OLD HEIDELBERG

January 28, Lynwood Theatre, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Two solo organ accompanied screenings- Charlie Chaplin in THE GOLD RUSH

February 4, Uptown Theatre, Calgary, Canada
Cantos Foundation Silent film series: Lon Chaney in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

February 8, Merrill Auditorium, Portland, Maine
Annual silent film series: Clara Bow in THE ‘IT’ GIRL

February 11, Uptown Theatre, Calgary, Canada
Cantos Foundation Silent film series: Douglas Fairbanks in ROBIN HOOD

February 15&16, Avalon Theatre, Grand Junction, Colorado
Grand Junction Symphony annual silent film presentation: Charlie Chaplin in
THE GOLD RUSH

February 18, Uptown Theatre, Calgary, Canada
Cantos Foundation Silent film series: Harold Lloyd in GIRL SHY

February 25, Uptown Theatre, Calgary, Canada
Cantos Foundation Silent film series: Janet Gaynor in SEVENTH HEAVEN

February 29, Symphony Center, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Symphony Orchestra with organ soloist silent film series: Buster
Keaton in THE GENERAL

March 1, Overture Center, Madison, Wisconsin
Annual ‘Duck Soup” silent film series: Douglas Fairbanks in FLIRTING WITH
FATE

March 7, California Theatre, San Jose, California
Cinequest Film Festival silent film event: Sergei Eisenstein’s OCTOBER: TEN
DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD

March 27 to 29, New York University, New York City, New York
Orphans Film Festival: IF MY COUNTRY SHOULD CALL

April 4 & 6, Coleman Theatre, Miami, Oklahoma
Silent film series program: title tba

April 11 & 12 Poncan Theatre, Ponca City, Oklahoma
Silent Film Festival programs: three programs, titles to be announced

April 13, Palace Theatre, Marion, Ohio
Annual silent film: Lon Chaney’s PHANTOM OF THE OPERA with full orchestra &
organ accompaniment

April 20, Recital Hall, Music School, University of South Carolina,
Columbia, South Carolina
Silent film presentation: Cecil B. DeMille’s THE GODLESS GIRL

April 26, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Annual DC Film Festival silent film event: Reginald Denny films - titles tba

April 27, Bronxville Women’s Club, Bronxville, NY
April Fool’s theme Musica Curiosa chamber music program

May 3, Phipps Center, Hudson, Wisconsin
Theatre Organ Series program with short silent comedies

May 17, The Forum, Binghamton, New York
Binghamton Pops Orchestra silent film program: Charlie Chaplin in THE GOLD
RUSH

May 29-June 1, Cantos Music Foundation, Calgary, Canada
AMIS Convention- Musica Curiosa instrument demonstrations

June 2, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington
Silent Movie Mondays- Douglas Fairbanks Festival: WHEN THE CLOUDS ROLL BY

June 6&7, Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Glass armonica with strings chamber ensemble concerts with Via Salzburg

June 9, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington
Silent Movie Mondays- Douglas Fairbanks Festival: THE MARK OF ZORRO

June 16, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington
Silent Movie Mondays- Douglas Fairbanks Festival: ROBIN HOOD

June 23, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington
Silent Movie Mondays- Douglas Fairbanks Festival: THE GAUCHO

June 28, 7th Avenue Theatre, Hoquiam, Washington
80th Anniversary program: Buster Keaton in THE CAMERAMAN

July 5, Historic Lynwood Theatre, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Theatre annual anniversary silent film shows - two screenings: titles tba
July, ENGLAND TOUR

July 10 - Town Hall, Stockport, England - Silent film program for
anniversary festival, presented by LTOT, title tba

July 12 - New Victoria Theatre, Howden-le-Wear, Crook County Durham,
England - Silent film program with theatre organ accompaniment presented by NETOA,
title tba

July 19 - Woking Leisure Centre, Woking, England - Silent film program with
theatre organ accompaniment presented by London Chapter- ATOS, title tba

August 18, Balboa Park, San Diego, California
20th annual outdoor silent film program: title(s) tba

October 25, Embassy Theatre, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Annual silent film series: Max Shreck in NOSFERATU, A SYMPHONY OF TERROR

November 20, Windspear Concert Hall, Edmonton, CANADA
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra; two presentations of Buster Keaton in THE
GENERAL

November 30, Hollywood Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand
Silent film program: title tba

December 14, Baycourt Theatre, Tauranga, New Zealand
20th Anniversary of opening concert: silent film titles tba

2009
September 19, First United Methodist Church, Wichita Falls, Texas
Silent Film performance within concert series

You may contact Dennis at: muscur@aol.com