James C. Meena an Antiochian Orthodox priest and musician who studied composition and wrote three hymnals as well as arranging and translating Tchaikovsky's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom into English.

He spent his childhood in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh before returning to Cleveland when his father became pastor of the St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church there.

[5][6][7] Meena made his professional debut in 1980, conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony and Mendelssohn Choir in performances of Haydn’s The Creation.

Concurrently, in 1997 he was appointed Conductor of the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet, with which he conducted more than twenty performances each season, including the annual Nutcracker production.

[8] His performances of Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Gounod’s Faust[9] and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin have been recorded and broadcast over National Public Radio's World of Opera.