James Allen Gähres (born August 5, 1943 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)[1] is an American conductor with an international career, based in Germany.

Gähres worked as a conductor at several opera houses in Germany, including 10 years as first Kapellmeister at the Staatsoper Hannover.

His work in Germany included conducting the German premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Candide, in the Scottish Opera version, at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, at the invitation of Götz Friedrich.

He also worked regularly with the Lower Saxony Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Saarland on concert tours, in Israel, Spain, the United States, France, Great Britain and Canada.

[4][5] Gähres worked repeatedly as guest conductor at the New York City Opera, the Heidelberger Schlossfestspiele,[6] the Polish Grand Theatre, Poznan, with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Hannover, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, at the Opernhaus Dortmund, the Staatsoper Stuttgart, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich,[7] and at the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples.