Jim Cockey was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but has spent most of his life in Idaho. He holds a composition degree from the University of Oregon where he studied with Homer Keller and Hal Owen. He has received numerous grants, commissions and honors, including a gold album for his work with members of the Moody Blues, and the Idaho Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.  Commissions include works for the Boise Philharmonic, Billings Symphony,  Carson City Symphony, Boise Baroque Orchestra, Idaho Department of Education, Hammerhead Consort, Jen Drake, Bill Quist, Keith Young, Bunting Dance, Idaho Dance Theatre, Langroise Trio, Darkwood Consort, and the Hyde Park Chamber Players.  For the Composers Forum's Continental Harmony project, Jim Cockey was the only musician chosen to head two projects simutaneously: conducting the McCall Chamber Orchestra and composing a work for the Carson City Symphony. In April of 2008, Mr. Cockey was selected by Maestro James Ogle to compose a special work in honor of Maestro Ogle's 20 years of service with the Boise Philharmonic.  Future projects include a Suite for Native American Flute and Orchestra, to be premiered by the Cape Cod Symphony in April 2010.  "Ithica," as performed by the Langroise Trio, was aired on NPR's Performance Today.  

I would like to thank Bela Bartok for awakening me to the wonders of music, and to Berni Cockey for being my fan and advisor all those many years and months.