James E. Bobb joined the St Olaf faculty with more than 20 years’ experience directing church music in Lutheran and United Church of Christ congregations. Bobb holds performer’s certificates and M.M. degrees in organ and harpsichord performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music where his teachers included Russell Saunders and David Craighead in organ and Arthur Haas in harpsichord. His undergraduate work was at Capital University where his teachers were Janet Linker in organ and Frank Hussey in piano. James Bobb served as Minister of Music at First Congregational Church, Columbus, Ohio from 2009-2012, He also taught organ and organ literature at Capital University in Columbus. For fifteen years prior to that, Bobb served the Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word in Rochester New York.

Following the Lutheran cantorial tradition, Bobb regularly composes or improvises music for weekly worship and directs the 96-voice Cantorei in concerts, worship services, and the annual St Olaf Christmas Festival.