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A native of Frackville, PA and the son of Louis and Florence Jordan, Class of 1971, GRAMMY-nominated conductor James Jordan is recognized and praised throughout the international musical world as one of America's pre-eminent conductors, recording artists, writers, music psychologists, and innovators in choral music. He was described as a "visionary" by The Choral Journal, which cited his book Evoking Sound as a "must read." His more than 60 books explore both the philosophical and spiritual basis of musicianship, as well as aspects of choral rehearsal teaching and learning, and are considered to be the essential books in the conducting profession.

At Westminster Choir College he is Professor and Senior Conductor, conductor of the world-renowned Westminster Choir and the Westminster Symphonic Choir. He conducted the critically acclaimed Westminster Williamson Voices. He is also Director of the Westminster Conducting Institute and co-director of the Choral Institute at Oxford. He is Artistic Director and Conductor of the professional choral ensemble, The Same Stream.

In June 2020, James Jordan was honored to be named the Artistic Director of the first Choir College in China — a college within the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, the leading Music Conservatory in Mainland China.

His extensive discography has garnered wide critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. He is lauded for his interpretative approaches to scores and the rich sonorities and choral colors he is able to create with the singers he conducts. Dr. Jordan's career and publications have been devoted to innovative educational changes in the choral art, which have been embraced around the world.

James Jordan holds a B.M. degree from Susquehanna University, an M.M. in choral conducting from Temple University, and a Ph.D. in the psychology of music from Temple University where he was a Russell Conwell Fellow. James Jordan has been honored as a distinguished alumnus of Temple University and inducted into the University's Hall of Fame. In 2016, he received the distinguished alumni medal from Susquehanna University. He was awarded the distinguished Doctor of Music degree by the University of Aberdeen in Scotland in 2014 — an institution established in 1485 that has awarded degrees to only two Americans: Dr. Jordan and Morten Lauridsen. He shares this distinct honor with Gustav Holst, Benjamin Britten, and Dame Joan Sutherland.