James Reid

Since the 1970s James Reid has performed hundreds of concerts in the United States and Canada appearing in concerts for guitar societies, colleges and universities, and for arts councils. He has been a featured artist at numerous festivals including the Sun Waves Guitar Festival in Miami, Guitar New Orleans, The Portland Guitar Festival, The Elkhorn Festival, The Guitar and Lute Institute in Arcata, California, and the Fairbanks Summer Music Festival. Mr. Reid is also the founder of the Northwest Guitar Festival, an annual festival that rotates among different cities in the Northwest.

Reid has released eight solo recordings that have been reviewed favorably both in the U.S and abroad. He has commissioned works by Bryan Johanson, Maximo Diego Pujol, Gwyneth Walker, and Andrew York. His repertoire includes recent compositions as well traditional repertoire by composers ranging from John Dowland to Joaquin Rodrigo. Mr. Reid has given presentations at three different international guitar festivals on the music of Abel Carlevaro, on the music of Maximo Diego Pujol, and on the music of Bryan Johanson. In 1998, he was the recipient of a grant from the University of Idaho Research Council to record the music of the 19^th century virtuoso-composer Johann Kaspar Mertz. In September of 1999 his recording, Sounds of the Bard, was featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today program. Most recently, Mr. Reid has released, Guitarra Americana, which features a world premiere recording of his own composition, Homages.

Aside from his activities as a performer and teacher Mr. Reid served for eight years as the Review Editor for Recordings for Soundboard, the quarterly publication of the Guitar Foundation of America. He has also served as a judge for numerous state, regional, national, and international competitions.

In 2020, James Reid retired from the University of Idaho where he had directed the guitar program since 1978. In retirement Reid continues to perform and also enjoys reading, playing golf, hiking, and cooking.