Bio
James M Hilsabeck
Flutist James M. Hilsabeck currently holds the position of Principal Flute with the Dana Point Symphony, as well as flutist and piccolo player with Symphony Irvine. James began playing the flute at the age of eight, and made his solo debut performing Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G Major with the Irvine Young Concert Artists at the age of 17.
As an orchestral flutist, James has played concerts with the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg under the direction of Ivor Bolton at the Segerstrom Concert Hall. He has also performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with La Sierra University’s production of Oh My Son. In the spring of 2015, he was featured as a soloist with Symphony Irvine performing Mercadante’s flute concerto in E Minor.
His performance experience includes recording sessions for various internationally acclaimed artists and films, recording in iconic studios such as Capitol Records, the Bridge Recording Studio, and most recently, the Eastwest Studio for Season Two of the Netflix hit series, Chef’s Table. Furthermore, he has performed as part of the Saddleback Church Orchestra with Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee James Ingram.
In the summer of 2011, James toured Bulgaria as Principal Flute of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra under the direction of Maxim Eshkenazy, where the orchestra gave three critically acclaimed performances to standing room only audiences in the major concert halls of Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna.
James has studied under the mentorship of Florence Estrin, former flutist and piccoloist of Indianapolis Symphony and the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Additionally, he has received instruction from Bernard Krabatsch, Principal Flutist of the Mozarteum, and Diane Weber. He has also studied orchestral conducting with Zun Hin Woo, music director of the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, and Dean Anderson, music director of the Dana Point Symphony.
As an educator, James currently is director of Flute Choir & Studies at the Diamond Bar Youth Symphony Orchestra, and has served as director of the Irvine Young Concert Artists Wind Ensemble and woodwind coach for the Irvine Young Concert Artists.
As an orchestral flutist, James has played concerts with the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg under the direction of Ivor Bolton at the Segerstrom Concert Hall. He has also performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with La Sierra University’s production of Oh My Son. In the spring of 2015, he was featured as a soloist with Symphony Irvine performing Mercadante’s flute concerto in E Minor.
His performance experience includes recording sessions for various internationally acclaimed artists and films, recording in iconic studios such as Capitol Records, the Bridge Recording Studio, and most recently, the Eastwest Studio for Season Two of the Netflix hit series, Chef’s Table. Furthermore, he has performed as part of the Saddleback Church Orchestra with Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee James Ingram.
In the summer of 2011, James toured Bulgaria as Principal Flute of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra under the direction of Maxim Eshkenazy, where the orchestra gave three critically acclaimed performances to standing room only audiences in the major concert halls of Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna.
James has studied under the mentorship of Florence Estrin, former flutist and piccoloist of Indianapolis Symphony and the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Additionally, he has received instruction from Bernard Krabatsch, Principal Flutist of the Mozarteum, and Diane Weber. He has also studied orchestral conducting with Zun Hin Woo, music director of the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, and Dean Anderson, music director of the Dana Point Symphony.
As an educator, James currently is director of Flute Choir & Studies at the Diamond Bar Youth Symphony Orchestra, and has served as director of the Irvine Young Concert Artists Wind Ensemble and woodwind coach for the Irvine Young Concert Artists.
