Regarded as one of the premier percussion arrangers in the United States, James Ancona has presented seminars and performances of his works throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Mr. Ancona has over 30 years of experience as an arranger and instructor for Drum Corps International ensembles including The Cavaliers, Star of Indiana, Santa Clara Vanguard, Boston Crusaders and The Cadets. He is currently the Front Ensemble Arranger for Carolina Crown. Mr. Ancona’s honors in the activity include having been a member of the 1990 DCI World Champion Cadets of Bergen County and serving on the instructional staff for Star of Indiana's (1993), Santa Clara Vanguard's (2004), and The Cadets’ (2013) World Champion percussion sections. He also served as the Percussion Caption Head for the 2006 DCI World Champion Cavaliers and as a consultant for the 2011 DCI World Champion Cadets. His Vanguard Percussion Ensembles and Mixed Ensembles have won at the Drum Corps International Individual and Ensemble Championships.

Several of Mr. Ancona’s percussion arrangements appear in Star of Indiana's "Brass Theater" production as well as the Tony Award winning Broadway production, “BLAST!”. Several of his works are published by Tap Space Publications including Up Front: A Complete Resource for Today's Pit Ensemble and Up Front Etudes. Mr. Ancona is also a contributing author for Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Instrumental Music.

Since 1995, Mr. Ancona has served as an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Delaware. As an ensemble director he works with the Symphonic Band and athletic bands as well as teaching music education courses. Mr. Ancona received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his Master's Degree in Performance from Indiana University where he was awarded the prestigious Performer's Certificate.