James Biddlecome was a trombonist with the New York City Opera Orchestra for 42 years. He has also played with the Group for Contemporary Music, the Brooklyn Philharmonia, the Caramoor Music Festival, the US Army Field Band, the American Ballet Theater Orchestra, the Goldman Band and the New Hampshire Music Festival.While a member of the New York City Opera Orchestra, he created the NYCO Education Department’s Opera in a Nutshell, (now known as Opera is Instrumental) a program for young instrumental musicians for which he was the director and conductor. Among the Nutshell programs he presented were Verdi’s Rigoletto, Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s La Bohème, Madama Butterfly and Tosca. Mr. Biddlecome was also personnel manager for the National Grand Opera and the New York Grand Opera. For several years he appeared as a regular guest conductor of the Queens Symphonic Band. In January of 2002 Mr. Biddlecome was appointed Music Director of the North Jersey Philharmonic where he remained until the demise of the orchestra in 2007. It was there that he conducted a number of outstanding concerts, including popular concert opera performances of La bohemé and Carmen and several innovative Children’s Concerts. In 2006 that he was invited to become Music Director of the Ridgewood (NJ) Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, where he has conducted ten of the thirteen Savoy operas. In June of 2010 at the Gettysburg International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival he was presented the award for Best Musical Director for the Ridgewood G&S production of The Grand Duke. In 2012 he was appointed to the Advisory Board of the International Gilbert & Sullivan Assoc. of North America. Additionally, Mr. Biddlecome has conducted the All North Jersey High School Orchestra and the West Virginia All-State Orchestra and the South Dakota All-State Orchestra.