James Oliverio was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Oliverio later moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he was the composer-in-residence at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His music for the film Time and Dreams was included in Atlanta's successful bid to host the 1996 Summer Olympics. His piece The Explorer (later retitled To Boldly Go...) was commissioned and premiered as the opening for that summer's four-year Cultural Olympiad. During the 1990s, Oliverio was described as "Atlanta's hottest composer".
A lifelong friend of the timpanist brothers Paul and Mark Yancich, Oliverio has composed a number of works for the performers, including his first and second timpani concertos and the 2011 double timpani concerto Dynasty.
The Fall of Babylon (1974) for mezzo-soprano and wind quintet'Dantreume Leu Pliska (1975) for timpani and amplified double bassEtude for Four Harps (1975)Piano Sonata No. 1 (1976) for two pianosAradia (1978) for acoustic and electronic chamber ensembleJ'ai Plus de Souvenirs (1978) for soprano and amplified double bass quintetGo Gently, My Friend (1986) for symphony orchestraAmerican Suite (1988) for symphony orchestraAnniversary Overture (1988) for symphony orchestraDrawn to the Light (1989) for chorus and orchestraTimpani Concerto No. 1: The Olympian (1990) for timpani and orchestraWinds of the Magic Wood (1990) for woodwind quintet and narratorConcerto for Orchestra (1990)The Story of Snow White: A Child's Introduction to the Symphony Orchestra, Second Edition (1991)Voyage Through the Musical Universe (1991) for orchestra and narratorSongs Without Words (1992) for chamber ensembleThe Lessons of Time (1992) for chorus and orchestraImaginary Worlds (1992) chamber ensemble with electronicsCommon Ground (1992) ballet for orchestraPilgrimage: Concerto for Brass (1992) for orchestra and brass soloistsChildren of a Common Mother (1992) for four ethnic storytellers and multicultural percussion orchestraTo Boldly Go… (The Explorer) (1992) for orchestraDark Serenade (1994) for piano, cello, and orchestraThe Science of Imagination (1995) for orchestra and large-scale digital mediaThree Scenes for Flute and Orchestra (1995)StarChild: the Opera (1996) opera for live performers and large-scale digital mediaTimpani Concerto No. 1 (1996) for timpani and symphonic windsA Thousand Lifetimes (1997) for five singers and orchestraDRUMMA (1998) for large percussion ensemble and timpani soloistDreamers, Then Remembering, Open the Sky (1998) for MIDI percussion soloists and symphonic bandGenerations (2000) for chorus and orchestraThe Messenger (2001) for percussion, orchestra, and digital mediaHands Across the Ocean (2004) for distributed performance ensemble and online interactive virtual environmentIn Common: Time (2005) for distributed performance ensemble and online interactive virtual environmentDRUMMA v2.0 (2006) for distributed percussion ensemble and interactive virtual environmentTimpani Concerto No. 2 (2007) for timpani and orchestraSMOKE|WIRE|ROCK (2007)Voyage to Tomorrow (2008) for chorus, orchestra, and digital mediaLittle Tricker the Squirrel Meets Big Double the Bear (2008) balletDynasty (2011) Concerto for two timpanists and orchestra