My name is James Flowers. I am the principal violist for the Temple Symphony. I am also the personnel director and serve on the finance committee.

I am one of the charter members of the orchestra. This upcoming season will be year 31 for me.

For me it is a combination of creating beautiful music and connection with other people in a way that cannot be achieved in any other way.

I feel I have always had a natural interest in the visual and performing arts. From an early age, I liked to draw and paint. I loved school projects that required some type of art work. I also played recorder, keyboards, pots and pans, etc. by ear from a young age. I was presented with a chance to play a musical instrument at the age of 10 in elementary school. At that time, I chose the violin. That was my first instrument.

I feel I must mention my first two mentors as some of the most influential teachers in my career. My first Violin teacher was George Hofer and the second was Walter Rumple.
Both were members of the Savannah Symphony Orchestra in Savannah, Georgia where my family lived. Mr. Hofer started me on violin in public schools in the 5th grade. Unfortunately, there were no public school programs past the 5th grade in Savannah, so I
took private lessons from Mr. Rumple until we moved from Savannah in the 11th grade.

Since retiring from being a high school orchestra director at Temple High School, I have decided to spend more time doing what I love, which is being a freelance musician.
Besides performing with the Temple Symphony Orchestra, I have enjoyed playing in the Mid-Texas Symphony, Central Texas Philharmonic, Victoria Symphony, and Waco Symphony. In addition to my symphonic work, I regularly play in church
orchestras, wedding quartets and trios. When I am not performing, I like to hang out with my friends. I also love traveling around the country for family functions. I made it a goal to allow extra time in my family travels to attend a concert in the city in which
the family function resides. So far, I have attended concerts by the Philadelphia Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and Atlanta Symphony. I look forward to adding more to my list.

Besides being a musician and a teacher, I am a retired Army National Guard Captain. I served for 23 years while concurrently working as a public-school teacher.

This is an extremely difficult question to answer. But if I had to pick one, it would have to be Romeo and Juliet (Fantasy Overture) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. I have always been a great lover of the music of Tchaikovsky since a young age. I would listen to Romeo and
Juliet for hours. I am a person who always uses imagery when I listen to music. When I listen to this piece, I feel I know exactly what Tchaikovsky was trying to convey with this piece. His music is so exquisitely beautiful, but always has touch of darkness that seems
to blur the line between agony and ecstasy. A state of being that really resonates with me.

In my opinion, it is so important to become involved in the arts in some way. Whether it is a visual artist, performer, or a supporter of the arts. Find something that you love. Participation in the arts is an integral part of a well-rounded and quality life.

The Temple Symphony represents a community of musicians who can perform music at the highest professional level. I feel that new audience members will be pleasantly surprised at the level of quality. The music selection is varied and is accessible to everyone.

My hope is that audiences will go away feeling better emotionally at the conclusion of the performance than they did before it started; and also, excited to come back.

What an audience member sees and enjoys on the stage is the result of a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes. There are a lot of moving parts and coordinated efforts that are necessary for a successful end product.

When I start preparing for an upcoming concert, I first try to find recorded examples of the concert literature. I like audio and videos. I will start by playing along with the video to see if I can keep up. I will note the parts I can easily play, the parts that I
have a little difficulty with, and the very difficult parts that required a more detailed analysis. After the initial reading, I will work on the parts I had the most difficulty with first, then I will work towards the easier sections. I will make extensive markings in the music
including fingerings, reminders, bowings, etc. I make use of all necessary technologies to aid me. When I am not practicing, I like to listen to recordings when I am driving or relaxing.

I have a rather eclectic taste in music. I am a person who constantly seeks out the best examples of music in all genres. I like classical, jazz, pop, R&B, country, etc. I never met a genre I didn’t like. I have several playlists. The particular playlist I listen to depends on
my mood.

The Temple Symphony looks like the United States. There is a wide range of races, ethnicities, cultures and generations represented. The fact that we can have an orchestra of that quality and be able to create such great performances is a great example of the
power of music.

Staying passionate about music and supporting the arts is second nature to me. Just as I need food, water, exercise, and sleep to sustain my body, I need music to feed my soul.

I think the three works that best describe my experience with the Temple Symphony are; passion, family, and tradition.