Elgar Conducts Elgar CD

In the fall of 1998, he released his first CD Jubilance, a selection of his works from the previous decade. The title work for alto saxophone and organ was featured at the 1999 national convention of the Society of Composers, Inc. in New York City.

During the summer of 1999, Hoch studied with internationally noted composer Knut Nysted in Oslo, Norway. While there he completed the Missa Brevis for a cappella choir, which was premiered at Central Lutheran Church in Winona as part of a concert featuring the works of Nysted during his visit to this country in 2000. Other recent works include Millennium, which was commissioned by Winona State University for the dedication of its new library, Symphony No. 1, op. 28, which was commissioned by the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, which was written for cellist Paul Vance and premiered by the Winona Symphony in 2001. Also commissioned and premiered by the Winona Symphony Orchestra was In Memoriam: 9/11, in 2002.

In March of 2004, Hoch's eagerly awaited second CD, From Within...was released at a concert featuring three of the six new compositions on the CD.

From Within... features flutist Zoe Shepherd on piccolo, flute and alto flute and Patricia Lundeen playing on a Hendrickson 39 rank tracker organ. James Hoch earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music and his Masters and Doctoral degrees from the University of Colorado. He has taught instrumental music at Carroll College (Wisconsin), the University of Hawaii, and Central Wyoming College. He is currently a Professor of Music at Winona State University, where he teaches woodwinds, theory/composition, and music education. His secondary teaching experiences were in California and Virginia.