James Zimmermann was born in Toronto, Ontario. He began his musical studies on piano at the age of five. At the age of nine, he started playing the tuba and switched to bass trombone at the age of 17. Mr. Zimmermann attended McGill University in the performance degree program studying with Ted Griffiths, Peter Sullivan, and Vivian Lee. His musical experiences have seen him in the North Vancouver Youth Band, Niagara Youth Orchestra, McGill Symphony, National Band of the Naval Reserve, and various Naval Reserve unit Bands. Mr. Zimmermann has also played with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Kitchener -Waterloo Symphony, and Windsor Symphony. He currently plays Bass trombone for the Niagara Symphony, and also plays in various Big Bands and chamber groups whenever he can. In more recent years he was a member of the World Rock Symphony show at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario.