James Lee III was born in St. Joseph, Michigan and completed a bachelors degree in piano, and a masters and doctorate degree in composition from the University of Michigan. Some of his primary teachers included William Bolcom, Bright Sheng, and Michael Daugherty. In 2002 James Lee III was a composition fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, MA. During that summer, Psalm 61 was premiered by members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. There he studied with Steven Mackey, Michael Gandolfi, Kaija Saariaho, and conducting with Stefan Asbury. Dr. Lee has composed works that have been premiered in Michigan, Maryland, California, Indiana, Alabama, Minnesota, South Africa, Austria, and Japan. One of his most notable premieres was "Beyond Rivers of Vision" premiered by Leonard Slatkin and the National Symphony Orchestra in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in October 2006. In February 2007, Dr. Lee's trio "Into Sonic Horizons" was premiered at Morgan State Univeresity during a faculty recital that was greeted with success.

I want to compose music to reach to the inner soul of the listener that elevates them irregardless of race and religious affiliation.

"...at that moment past midnight" for mixed choir a cappela (2008)
"A Different Soldier's Tale"for orchestra (2008)
"Beyond Rivers of Vision" for orchestra (2005)
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (2005)
"O Canto da Juriti" for mixed choir and piano (2007)
"My Lord, What a Mournin'" for mixed choir and piano(2007)
"Four Songs of Love and Death" voice and piano (2004)
"Into Sonic Horizons" - piano trio (2006)
"Fantasia Ritmica" (2004)