James Allen Gähres

James Allen Gähres
James Allen Gähres in 2011
Born	(1944-08-05) August 5, 1944 (age 72) Harrisburg, United States of America
Education	Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna
Occupation	Conductor Pianist Composer
Years active	1969–present
Style	Symphonic music, Opera

James Allen Gähres (born August 5, 1944 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is an American music conductor with an international career.

James Allen Gähres was born in 1944 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Gähres studied music, conducting, composition and piano at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, where he was musical assistant of the Peabody Symphony Orchestra in his final study year, and as a Fulbright-Fellowship holder with Hans Swarovsky in Vienna. He attended Master classes with Bruno Maderna in Salzburg.

His conducting career began after several years as a freelance Composer and Pianist in Southern Germany. James Gähres worked as a conductor at several opera houses in Germany, including 10 years as first Kapellmeister at the Staatsoper Hannover in Hanover, where he conducted about 15 different Opera and Musical theatre productions per season, for ten years. Then he was engaged as the first conductor at the Staatstheater Braunschweig for three years.