James has worked with many orchestras and choirs all over Britain, including Brighton Festival Chorus, Huddersfield Choral Society, Hertfordshire Chorus, the Worthing Philharmonic Choir and the Sussex Chorus in programmes that have included The Dream of Gerontius, Verdi's Requiem, Beethoven's Choral Symphony, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Mozart's Requiem and Johann Sebastian Bach's B minor Mass and St Matthew Passion.
The orchestra, having both amateur and professional musicians, performs a wide and diverse range of repertoire which has included such works as Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, Maurice Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, Dmitri Shostakovich's 5th Symphony, Gustav Mahler's symphonies Nos.
As part of his work with the orchestra, Mark James has masterminded the creation of a series of workshops and sessions catering for children of all ages and abilities, through to adult further education by taking sections from the orchestra into schools and colleges, holding seminars and sessions culminating in public concerts.
In recognition of his work with this orchestra, he was nominated for a Creative Briton Award, where individuals are nationally recognised for their contributions to their art.
Apart from his return visits to Russia, future engagements include a visit to the new Hall for Cornwall in Truro with the Sussex Symphony Orchestra, a performance of Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs with Dame Felicity Lott, concerts of French and English music in France and engagements in Estonia, Moldova and Rio de Janeiro.