James Loughran began his career with the Boumemouth Symphony Orchestra after winning the Philharmonia Orchestra's Conducting Competition judged by Klemperer, Giulini, Boult and the Orchestra. During this time, he also conducted most of the British Orchestras as well as making his debut in opera with Covent Garden and Sadler's Wells, which led to Benjamin Britten inviting him to be Music Director of the English Opera Group.

In 1965, he returned to Glasgow, becoming Principal Conductor of the BBC Scottish Orchestra, increasing its size and changing its name to symphony status and giving its first series of public concerts in Glasgow, appearing at the London Proms and Edinburgh Festival for the next seven years. For the bicentenary, he was invited by the European Broadcasting Union to record all the Beethoven Symphonies and retumed to Bonn [where he had been a repetiteur at the opera] with Robert Simpson to study the original manuscripts before recording with the LSO. Apart from his association with both the RSNO and Scottish Opera, he enjoyed working with young musicians, having already begun the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra and during this period was conductor of the RSAMD Symphony Orchestra. For some time he has enjoyed working with NYOS.

ln 1970, he succeeded Barbirolli at the Halle in Manchester where he was able to promote contemporary composers through concerts,radio and television and where possible commercial recordings. His concerts in Manchester had record attendances and he toured the Halle from Stockholm to Sydney. His recordings won a Gold Disc from EMI and there was universal praise for his Beethoven, Brahms and Elgar cycle of symphonies. Later, he also became Principal Conductor of one of Germany's premier orchestras, the Bamberg Symphoniker, which involved him in extensive touring. He continued his long and close association with the Stockholm Philharmonic and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London conducting the latter especially at the Henry Wood Promenade Conoerts of which he was in charge of the Last Night no less than five occasions.

In 1974, he conducted the first concert of the newly formed Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Much later he toured with them in France and Japan where he had also toured with the London Philharmonic and since 1980, James Loughran has been Permanent Guest Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra who in 2006 made him Honorary Conductor. He has appeared in most European Countries as well as North and South America, Mexico, Hong Kong, North and South Africa, Israel and Jordan, Australia and New Zealand. Recently, he has greatly enjoyed his work in Denmark as Principal Conductor of the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra where again as guest, he looks forward to the completion of their new Artec designed Concert Hall and Conservatoire as part of one of the best Cultural Centres of Europe.