James Budinich is a Croatian-American composer writing music inspired by minimalism, Croatian folk traditions, and American popular music. An artist who welcomes collaboration in his process, he composes for performances, films, and installations, using both acoustic instruments and electronic sound design.

Recent collaborations include new works for Kate Dreyfuss ((semi)concerto for violin and electronics, 2024; White Stone for violin and electronics, 2019), Pigeonwing Dance (sound design for The Choreography of CRISPR, 2022; 5x8, 2021; Plexus: a work in knots, 2020; and Tensible, 2019), and movement artist Waeli Wang (sound design for dance films Sunder: Before the Sky and Earth, 2024, and Her Spine, the Mountains, 2023).

He has worked with ensembles such as Ensemble Illyrica, Yarn/Wire, the Momenta Quartet, Ensemble Mise-En, F-PLUS, and the Raleigh Civic Chamber Orchestra. Recent performances include the Ear Taxi Festival, Pulsar Festival, Mise-En New Music Festival, and others across the United States and Europe. His work has been supported by New Music USA, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, the American Scandinavian Foundation, the Lois Roth Endowment, and the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation.

James currently serves as Lecturer in Composition and Music Creation Technologies at Binghamton University. He previously received a Ph.D. in Music Composition from Duke University in 2022, and was in residence at Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Academy of Music as a Fulbright Scholar in 2020-21.


For more information, scores, or new collaborations, email james.budinich@gmail.com