James Lee Fankhauser (born August 1939 in Lyons, Kansas) is an American conductor, tenor, and educator who is primarily known for his work within the field of choral music in Canada.
He was awarded a Fulbright Grant which enabled him to pursue graduate studies in vocal performance in London at the Royal Academy of Music and choral conducting with Sir David Lumsden at New College, University of Oxford in 1962–1963.
In 1981 the choir won the BBC's International Choral Competition, "Let the people sing," winning the Israeli Silver Cup for best performance.
[2] In 1966 Fankhauser joined the faculty as a sabbatical replacement for Professor Iva Dee Hiatt at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he conducted choirs and taught voice during the 1966–1967 school year.
During this period a great performance of the Mozart Vespers K. 339 under his baton (with the famous Paul Kuentz orchestra) was recorded and issued on a now very rare lp.
[2] Interestingly, Fankhauser stated in 2018: "When I graduated from college during the Vietnam war and was granted a Fulbright scholarship to study music at Oxford University, my ignorant, small town draft board refused to let me go.