Andrew Bain
Head of Jazz
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Biography
Dr Lara James attended the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where she was awarded her music degree and Professional Performance Diploma. She went on to study with the eminent saxophonist, teacher and historian Dr Paul Cohen at the Manhattan School of Music, before returning to the UK to complete a Master’s degree in Musicology at the University of Manchester. Her thesis focused on The Saxophone in Britain, c.1860–1960.
Lara also holds a PGCE/PCET in post-16 teaching and training (University of Greenwich), and a PhD from the University for the Creative Arts, where her research explored Devaluation and Disrupted Goals: Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on UK Musicians.
Expertise
Based in the UK, Lara is known for her work as a saxophonist, educator, researcher and writer. She has established a busy and varied portfolio career, with work ranging from recitals, chamber music and orchestral appearances to session work, lecturing and consultancy.
She has taught saxophone at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama since 2003, working across both junior and senior conservatoires, and has extensive experience as a teacher, coach, assessor and adjudicator.
Lara is currently engaged in postdoctoral research into music as a non-pharmaceutical intervention for dementia, and also works as a music performance consultant. A fully qualified psychotherapeutic counsellor (Prof. Dip. Psy. C. MNCPS Acc.), she has a particular interest in the creative industries and volunteers as a mentor for the North American Saxophone Alliance’s Committee for Gender Equity.
Notable achievements
Lara’s performance work spans a wide range of genres and includes solo, ensemble and orchestral work, with appearances as a concerto soloist and sessions for radio, TV and commercial recordings. She has performed with major UK orchestras and has been broadcast internationally, including on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, RTÉ Lyric FM (Ireland), NPR (USA) and ABC Classic FM (Australia).
Her debut CD Façades (Signum Classics) was named Presenter’s Choice for Instrumental and Chamber Music in Classic FM Magazine in 2009. Her follow-up album, The Glittering Plain (2011), was supported by the Arts Council of Wales and featured new commissions and collaborations with British composers.
More recently, Lara has collaborated with music technologist and composer Dr Leah Kardos, featuring on her 2017 album Rococochet (Bigo & Twigetti), and on a wide-reaching audio-visual research project exploring psychosocial themes, liminal space and women’s safety (2023–25). Since 2024, Lara has also been a member of the improvising chamber ensemble Meta Noisia Collective.
Links to research/projects
The Saxophone in Britain, c.1860–1960 (University of Manchester)
Devaluation and Disrupted Goals: Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on UK Musicians (University for the Creative Arts)
