Dr. James Romain serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Assistant Director of Jazz Studies. He received the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was a student of Professor Debra Richtmeyer. Dr. Romain is the first saxophonist to be awarded the D.M.A. degree from that university. While at UIUC, he was awarded the Cooke Fellowship, served as teaching assistant for the saxophone studio, and won the woodwind concerto competition. At UIUC, Dr. Romain co-founded the Red Onion Saxophone Quartet, an ensemble that has taken prizes in regional North American Saxophone Alliance competitions and was awarded the silver medal at the 2001 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. He has performed with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Champaign-Urbana and U of I Orchestras, and in numerous masterclasses. Dr. Romain premiered a new sonata by Chinese composer Dr. Jian-Jun He at the 2003 World Saxophone Congress.

Prior to coming to Drake, Dr. Romain served as Instructor of Woodwinds and Jazz Studies at Casper College in Casper, Wyoming. As director of the Casper College Jazz Festival, he hosted approximately 1,500 students in 90 jazz groups from around the state each February. While in Casper, he also held the chair of principal clarinet with the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, and is a past president of the Casper Chamber Music Society. Previous to his tenure at Casper College he served on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls for two years. While in the Midwest, he appeared frequently as a member of the Ancia Quartet, and as tenor saxophonist with the Twin Cities Jazz Orchestra. Dr. Romain has also taught at Amarillo College in Amarillo, Texas. He holds prior degrees from the University of North Texas, where he was a teaching fellow and a student of Professor James Riggs.

As a jazz saxophonist, he has performed with Clark Terry, Ron Miles, Eric Gunnison, and at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

Rivers - III. Phlegethon: The River of Fire
-By John Fitz Rogers
-Performed by James Romain with the Drake University Wind Symphony, under the direction of Robert Meunier
-March 2, 2008