James Matheson is a New York-based composer. Among his commissions are works for the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Chicago and Albany Symphony Orchestras, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, the St. Lawrence and Borromeo String Quartets, and pianists Nadia Shpachenko and Bruce Levingston. The American Academy of Arts and Letters honored him in December, 2011 with the Charles Ives Living.

A 2016 release from Yarlung Records features three major Matheson works: Violin Concerto (Baird Dodge, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Esa-Pekka Salonen); Times Alone, (soprano Laura Strickling and pianist Thomas Sauer); and String Quartet (Color Field Quartet).

Recent commissions include Unchained for large orchestra, commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, premiered February 24th, 25th and 26th, 2017; Violin Concerto, co-commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; True South, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic; Still Life, commissioned by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and made possible with a grant from the Fromm Music Foundation; a The Age of Air, for two shakuhachi and chamber orchestra, co-commissioned by Kyo-Shin-An Arts and River Oaks Chamber Orchestra for soloists James Schlefer and Akihito Obama; String Quartet, commissioned by Justus and Elizabeth Schlichting for the St. Lawrence String Quartet; Times Alone, commissioned by soprano Kiera Duffy, Cretic Variations and Alone in waters shimmering and dark..., commissioned by pianist Nadia Shpachenko, and Peace Talks, commissioned by Swarthmore College for its Sesquicentennial Celebration. Other recent projects include new works for violinist Jennifer Koh, pianist Bruce Levingston and pianist Nadia Schpachenko.

From 2009 to 2015 James served as Director of the the Los Angeles Philharmonic's innovative Composer Fellowship Program. In addition to the Ives Living award, Matheson has received fellowships and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Fromm Music Foundation, Civitella Ranieri, the Bogliasco and Sage Foundations, ASCAP, and the Robbins Prize. From 2005-2007, Matheson was Executive Director of the MATA Festival of New Music in New York, which commissions and performs the work of young composers who are making their entry into professional musical life. Matheson has held residencies at Yaddo and the Liguria Study Center, and has been a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.