James Helgeson is a composer and Renaissance specialist whose work explores the intersections of music, literature, and philosophy. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and later at Princeton, in Paris, and at Royal Holloway, University of London. He holds doctorates in the humanities and music composition, and has taught at Columbia University, Princeton University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Nottingham; he currently teaches at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin. Helgeson is also the author of books and articles on Renaissance literature, music, and culture.