James Poulsen

James Viggo Poulsen enjoys working with young musicians in the classroom and in individual lessons. He also very much enjoys performing with students in classical and jazz settings.

Poulsen taught part-time for Simpson from 1992-2003. He has been full-time at Simpson since 2003 (24 years). Poulsen teaches Music Theory, Aural Skills, Applied Piano, Jazz Piano, Composition, and Discovering Music. He has accompanied over 200 student recitals.

In July 2025, James Viggo Poulsen went to Abbey Road Studios in London, England. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recorded 2 of his compositions, a Piano Concerto and his ‘Heartland Poem’ (symphonic poem). The soloist was Grammy-nominated pianist Robert Thies, from Los Angeles, and the conductor was Geoffrey Paterson, from Kent, England. The entire experience was filmed, and all the videos can be found on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQBay9QJBdIZ9c5o5D0pzqg/posts?pvf=CAI%253D

The album is entitled ‘Heartland Poem’, released on MSR Classics by Parma Recordings. Iowa Public Television did a feature on his experience. It was shown on the ‘Iowa Life’ show and it can be seen on his website at:  https://www.jamesviggopoulsen.com/

His ‘Heartland Poem’ was nominated for Best Album at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards. It then went on to win 5 awards at the Independent Music Channel Awards in Los Angeles:  Album of the Year, Producers of the Year, Best Classical Performance (Robert Thies), Best Classical Composer (James Poulsen), Best Classical Recording.

Although trained as a Classical pianist, he stays very busy as a jazz pianist, performing over 100 times a year in the Des Moines metro area and throughout Iowa in duos, trios, quartets, and bigger jazz bands:  Nola Jazz Band, the Des Moines Big Band, and the Turner Center Jazz Band. He has appeared at the Bix Lives Festival (4 times), the Cedar Basin Festival, the Glenn Miller Festival, and many others.

Before teaching college full-time, Poulsen was staff composer for SR Audio productions and composed and produced the music for hundreds of commercials and business films in Iowa and all over the U.S. for companies like Pioneer, Farm Bureau, Hy-Vee, Principal, and the Walt Disney Corporation.

James Poulsen has also had 3 major orchestral works commissioned and premiered by the Des Moines Symphony and played by other orchestras across the U.S.

B.A. in Music (Piano Performance) Buena Vista University, 1984
M.M. (Piano Performance) University of South Dakota, 1985
3 years Doctoral Studies in Music, University of Iowa, 1985-198

Alleluia, Gloria, for Mixed Chorus
Praise God! for Mixed Chorus
Entreat Me Not to Leave You, for solo voice and piano
Self-Published:
19 Art Songs
3 Orchestral Works
2 Choral Works

5 Awards, including Best Album, 2026
21 Addys for music in advertising
11 Tellys for music in advertising
Best Score at the Iowa Film Awards, 4 times
1st Prize, PMMO Composition Contest, 1984, out of 186 entries
ASCAPlus award for emerging composers, 2009
ASCAPlus award for emerging composers, 2008