James Welch is the University Organist and lecturer in music at California's Santa Clara University, where he joined the music faculty in January 1993. He also serves as organist at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Palo Alto.

Awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance at Stanford University, James Welch studied with Herbert Nanney and served as Assistant University Organist. He has also studied organ with Grace Brown; Parley Belnap, Brigham Young University; Dr. Alexander Schreiner, former Mormon Tabernacle Organist; Dr. Josef Doppelbauer, Mozarteum Akademie, Salzburg, Austria; Jean Langlais, Ste. Clotilde, Paris, France; and Dr. John Walker. Piano studies were with Elsa Burland and Earle Voorhies in Pasadena, California. From 1977 to 1994 he served as University Organist at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The recipient of a Fulbright award to pursue research on historical Cavaille-Coll organs in Brazil, presenting lectures and recitals on this subject at conventions of the American Guild of Organists. He has concertized in Latin America, performing in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. He has edited and published three volumes of organ works by Mexican composers.

His world-wide appearances include the following recitals at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris; St. Stefans Cathedral, Vienna; Wellington Cathedral, New Zealand; National Theater, Taipei; Beijing Concert Hall; University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Harvard, Yale, and Duke Universities; National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.; The Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City; Grace Cathedral, San Francisco; Stanford University Memorial Church; and on carillons in Holland, Belgium, and Israel.

James Welch is an Associate member of the American Guild of Organists. He has served on both the local and regional levels as an officer of the Guild and has performed several times at Guild conventions. He has written articles on a wide variety of topics for The American Organist and The Diapason. His recordings include Magnum Opus, recorded on the Flentrop organ of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle; Music for Christmas, Stanford University Memorial Church; Recital, All Saints' Episcopal Church, Palo Alto, California; Discovery, St. Mark's-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, Los Olivos, California; Instrument of Peace, Church of Saints Peter and Paul in San Francisco; Instrument of Wonder, Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Oakland, California; and A Treasury of Wood Works, recently recorded at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in San Francisco. Many of his recorded performances have been aired on Public Radio International's Pipedreams program.

His travels, studies, and performances on historical and modern instruments throughout the world have given him a sure command of many styles of music. Critics in this country and abroad have praised him for his technical facility, solid musicianship, and creative programming.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he has been very active in the Church's music program. He is the composer of a hymn in the Church's hymnal ("Bless Our Fast, We Pray," No. 138). He is a frequent guest recitalist at the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, and he has taught as a guest professor at the Church Music Workshop held at Brigham Young University. He served a mission in Brazil 1970-72 and has returned several times for recitals and lectures. He and his wife, Deanne Everson, are the parents of two sons, Nicholas and Jameson.