Music

James Poulsen

James Poulsen teaches music theory, ear training, and piano for Simpson College. He also does much accompanying as part of his duties in the music department. He has taught Discovering Music for Simpson Adult Learning for 18 years. Mr. Poulsen also maintains a private teaching studio where he gives lessons in classical and jazz piano, plus instruction in music theory and composition.

Mr. Poulsen recently completed his third commissioned orchestral work for the Des Moines Symphony, "Heartland Poem". His Five Poems of Edgar Allan Poe for tenor and orchestra was premiered in 1999. Poulsen's Piano Concerto was premiered in February of 2002. The pianist was Joseph Kalichstein, the chamber music director for Lincoln Center in New York City. "Heartland Poem", will be premiered by the Des Moines Symphony October 25th and 26th, 2008.

In 2007 he composed a work for men's chorus entitled ‘Men', based on a poem by Archibald MacLeish. The piece was performed by the men of Phi Mu Alpha at a concert honoring the 90th anniversary of the Pi Chapter at Simpson College. Other recent works include settings of poetry of Jane Austen and three Poe-related letters. These new art songs have been performed by Simpson students.

James Poulsen is also a freelance composer, residing in Des Moines. He has written and produced all styles of music for hundreds of local and regional commercials and corporate videos for companies such as The Walt Disney Company, Pioneer, Maytag, Farm Bureau, The Principal, Prairie Meadows, Mercy and Methodist Hospitals, The Des Moines Register, Medicap, and Hy-Vee Food Stores. He produced and arranged music tracks for conventions and sales meetings throughout the country for Disney Event Productions in Orlando for such companies as Butler Manufacturing, Williams Communications, INACOM Computers, EMC/Mass., Liz Claiborne, Beneficial Finance, Lucent Technologies and The California Board of Tourism. Poulsen has scored a full-length independent horror film entitled "Devoured", which was shown at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Mr. Poulsen holds a B.A. in Piano from Buena Vista College and a M.M. in Piano from the University of South Dakota, plus 3 years of doctoral studies at the University of Iowa. His piano teachers were Dennis Ondroceck, John Simms, Caio Pagano and Arthur Greene. He studied composition with Stephen Yarbrough at South Dakota plus Richard Hervig and world re-known avant-garde composer Kenneth Gaburo at the University of Iowa. Poulsen's works have been published by Kenwood Press in Minneapolis . One of his hobbies is playing piano for numerous jazz gigs all over Iowa, from jazz trios to ‘Big Bands', including the Ballyhoo Foxtrot Orchestra, which is led by Simpson music professor John Benoit.

James Poulsen has won 11 national Telly awards and 21 Iowa Addy awards for music in advertising, including Best Instrumental Music for a Commercial in 2002. He won first prize in the 1985 Presbyterian Metro Ministries of Omaha Sacred Composition Contest with his choral work, Alleluia, Gloria, which was performed by the Simpson Choir in 2002. He has won Best Score at the Iowa Motion Picture Awards four times, most recently in 2005 for his score for "The Iowa Experience", which is shown continuously at the Iowa Hall of Pride in Des Moines. James Poulsen is a member of ASCAP.

Last Updated: 5/14/09