Dr. James Massol is the founder and executive director of Opera Lucca. He manages all adminstrative aspects of the program in collaboration with the faculty. During the academic year, he teaches in the music history department at Manhattan School of Music, offering courses in chamber music, orchestral music, Puccini, and works for voices and orchestra. In addition to MSM College, he also teaches music history and theory at Mahanaim College. He holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and the University of Colorado, and he was a Fulbright recipient to Germany. He formerly played bassoon with the Savannah Philharmonic and taught at the University of North Florida. His scholarly interests focus on semiotics, instrumental music, and Puccini. He recently gave a conference presentation titled “Stylistic Modulation in Il tabarro” at the Trittico centennial conference in Italy.