While James Greening-Valenzuela is known primarily as a violin soloist and pedagogue, here are some things you may not know about him:

 

--  After two days of playing violin, entered his school orchestra and was seated concertmaster.  Two days after that, took his first private violin lesson and was assigned Kreutzer's 42 Studies.

 

--  Studied piano with Lee Borden for ten years and accompanies his violin/viola students regularly.

 

--  Took voice lessons while an undergraduate at the San Francisco and St. Louis Conservatories of Music.

 

--  Saw an advertisement for a chorus audition while a young artist living in Boston.  Bored and with nothing else to do, took the audition on a lark, for absolutely no other reason than to try something unusual on a weekday evening.  Ended up getting one of the twelve open positions and, as a result, sang with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and Boston Symphony Orchestra for one year, juggling the schedule with his own solo concert performances.

 

--  Has worked extensively as an opera/vocal coach for many years.

 

--  Competed as an artistic roller skater for 15 years.  Qualified for and competed at the U.S. National Roller Skating Championships four times.  As a result of training, broke his left arm on four occasions, much to the chagrin of his music professors.

 

--  Can move each eyeball independently.
 

--  Prides himself on never having had a non-music related job.  Two jobs were unusual:

 

1) Worked as a pianist/singer at a piano bar in New York City for two years.

 

2) To earn extra money while living in Boston, delivered singing telegrams for almost a year, dressing up as a gorilla, a clown, Santa Claus and Big Bird.  Was required to barge into private offices, birthday parties, hospital rooms, school classrooms and restaurants while carrying balloons, shaking a tambourine and blowing a whistle.  Credits this experience with helping tremendously to conquer concert performance nerves and speaking in public.