James Welch received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from Stanford University, where he studied under Herbert Nanney and served as Assistant University Organist. Further studies have been with John Walker; Alexander Schreiner; Josef Doppelbauer of the Mozarteum Akademie, Salzburg, Austria; and Jean Langlais, Basilique Ste. Clotilde, Paris, France.  He has concertized internationally, with performances in such prestigious venues as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and the Tabernacle at Temple Square  in Salt Lake City.  He has also performed and taught in Beijing, Taipei, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Jerusalem.  A specialist in Latin American organ music, he received a Fulbright award to perform and conduct research on historic 19th-century Cavaillé-Coll organs in Brazil; since then he has performed in Mexico and edited three volumes of organ music by contemporary Mexican composers.  He holds the Associate Certificate of the American Guild of Organists, and he has performed at conventions of the Guild and at the International Congress of Organists.  He is the author of biographies of two prominent California organists:  Dale Wood: The Man and the Music, and Richard Purvis, Organist of Grace.  Other articles have appeared in The American Organist and The Diapason, and he has released numerous CDs, recorded on a variety of organs in the United States and Europe.  Many of his recorded performances have been aired on American Public Media'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.  He taught on the music faculties of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Santa Clara University. He currently lives in Provo, Utah, where he continues his teaching and performing. He and his wife Deanne are the parents of two sons, Nicholas and Jameson.  

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, James Welch has been very active in the Church's music program.  He has served as ward organist and stake music chairman, and he has arranged for and accompanied numerous musical events.  He is the composer of a hymn in the Church's hymnal ("Bless Our Fast, We Pray," No. 138), which he co-wrote with John S. Tanner, his first missionary companion.  He has since returned to Brazil several times for concerts and master classes.  He performs regularly as a guest recitalist at the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, and he has taught at the Church Music Workshop held at Brigham Young University.  He conducts workshops and performances in stakes throughout the United States and abroad.  From 2016-2020 he was bishop of the Stanford YSA Ward. From 2022 to 2023 he was the resident organist at the BYU Jerusalem Center, and his wife Deanne directed the choirs.

View past performances on James Welch's YouTube channel:   https://tinyurl.com/jameswelchorganist