About

James Borsky serves as the Choral Director at Tartan High School in Oakdale, MN, and the Music Director–Liturgist at the Church of Saint Raphael in Crystal, MN. Under his leadership, the Tartan Choirs have built a strong reputation for musical excellence, consistently earning superior ratings at a wide range of contests and festivals. James is committed to supporting the next generation of conductors and music educators, regularly hosting student teachers at Tartan and welcoming emerging choral singers and conductors as ringers in the Choral Scholars Program at Saint Raphael. He was recently honored with the 2025 VocalEssence/ACDA-MN Creative Programming Award for his innovative and student-centered programming philosophy.

In addition to his work as a director, James is a self-published choral composer whose works are performed by distinguished ensembles from coast to coast, including the Harvard University Choir, the Vox Nova Chorale, and the University of Redlands Chapel Singers. He is a dedicated advocate for contemporary choral music, recently commissioning and premiering “The River” by Kansas City composer, Ryan Main.

James’ academic background includes studies with Dr. Nicholle Andrews and Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée at the University of Redlands, as well as with Dr. Matthew Mehaffey at the University of Minnesota. He is deeply committed to inspiring a lifelong love of choral music in all of his ensembles, sharing his passion with singers of all ages and backgrounds. 

James lives in Minneapolis with his wife and three daughters, where he enjoys connecting with fellow musicians and continuing to enrich the local musical community.