James Lentini

James Lentini (born February 7, 1958, in Detroit, Michigan) is an American composer, guitarist, and academic administrator. After completing undergraduate studies at Wayne State University in guitar performance and composition, he pursued a master‘s degree in composition at Michigan State University and a doctorate from the University of Southern California, where he studied composition with Robert Linn and Morten Lauridsen. In addition to composing, Lentini is a guitarist who has studied with William Kanengiser, Joe Fava, and Charles Postlewate. Compositions His music has been performed by solo artists such as guitarist William Kanengiser and by international ensembles including the Krakow Philharmonic (Poland) and the Bohuslav Martinů Orchestra (Czech Republic). In addition to many commissions, his honors include first prize in the 2004 Choral Composition Contest at Bluffton University for his composition “Peace I Leave With You,” the 2002 Andrés Segovia International Composition Prize for his solo guitar piece “Westward Voyage,” the Atwater-Kent Composition Award (first Prize), the McHugh Composition Prize, a grant from “Meet the Composer,” and several awards from ASCAP. In 2003