ABBA

Violinist from Vancouver, British Columbia, who attended the Vancouver Academy of Music when she was just three years old. In 1998, she went on a tour of Europe with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and by so doing became their youngest musician. She was made concertmaster in 1999.

She attended the University of Western Ontario and won an armload of awards and grants. In 2001, she won the Canadian Music Competition in the chamber music and solo divisions, and was rewarded with a full scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music for her postgraduate work.

She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Performance from the University of Western Ontario in 2003, graduating with a gold medal in her class. In 2004, she finished her Master’s Degree at Guildhall.

The Guildhall School of Music Symphony Orchestra appeared at Teatro Diego Fabbri in Forli, Emilio-Romagna, Italy, on 20^th March 2005. The program included: Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra”; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s overture from The Magic Flute and “Ricercare” from Salve Regina; and, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture”.

On 25^th June 2005, she teamed up with cellists Rebecca Knight and Mara Miribung, keyboardist Ian Ryan, percussionist Michael Allen and violist Emilie Hornlund for a performance of Giovanni Sollima’s “Spasimo” in London, England.

She is one third of the Chris Wright Piano Trio, later known as the Andaman Trio, and they are rounded out by cellist Christopher Wright and pianist Jue Huang. On 25^th November 2005, they performed at the 12^th Young Musicians Festival at the Square Chapel Centre for the Arts in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They played a trio of trios: Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Trio in E major, Hb HV:28; Felix Mendelssohn’s “Trio in D minor, Op. 49”; and, Alfred Schnittke’s “Piano Trio”. They traveled to Ningbo, China, where they gave a recital at the Ningbo Yifu Theater on 14^th June 2006. In March 2007, they billed themselves as The Andaman Trio at the Bishopsgate Institute, where they interpreted Johannes Brahms’ “Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 101” and Charles Ives’ “Trio”.

On the big stage, Julia has performed with the London Philharmonic and the London Symphony orchestras. The London Symphony Orchestra joined forces with pianist Barry Douglas at The Barbican for Henri Dutilleux’s “Metaboles”, Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2 and Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” on 3^rd July 2007.

On 8^th January 2008, Julia graced the stage of the Purcell Room of London’s Southbank Centre along with pianists Grace Huang and Daniel Swain and saxophonist Hannah Marcinowicz as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists New Year Series. Their recital included: John Adams’ “Road Movies”; George Benjamin’s “Three Miniatures for Solo Violin”; Richard Rodney Bennett’s “Sonata for Soprano Saxophone and Piano”; Rolf Hind’s “Das Unenthullte”; Kenneth Leighton’s “Six Studies (Study-Variations)”; Geoffrey Poole’s “The Book of Buried Streams”; Ailis Ni Riain’s “Beautiful Cracked Eyes”; Ned Rorem’s “Picnic on the Marne”; and, Giles Swayne’s “Leonardo Dream Variations”.

The London Symphony Orchestra traveled to Dijon, France, and performed Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 7” at L’Opera de Dijon on 8^th March 2008. On 21^st and 23^rd November 2008, they were back at The Barbican for a concert performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. More Prokofiev followed. They put soloist Vadim Repin in the spotlight for Prokofiev’s “Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2”, sandwiched in between the composer’s first and fifth symphonies, on 17^th May 2009. (They reprised this concert at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York, New York, on 30^th March 2009.) On 18^th May 2009, it was Lang Lang’s turn to shine on Prokofiev’s “Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3”, book-ended by the Russian master’s third and fourth symphonies.

Their rendition of Romeo and Juliet was released on CD as part of the LSO Live series in 2010. They also released Beethoven’s third symphony “Eroica” and “Leonore Overture No. 2” in 2006. Other recordings on which Julia appears include 2009’s edge of the world by Tom Norris.

On 1^st March 2010, the London Philharmonic Orchestra returned to Avery Fisher Hall with violinist Thomas Zehetmair for a double-header of Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61” and Brahms’ “Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73”. They reappeared at Lincoln Center on 7^th March 2010, this time with pianist Alexander Toradze, for Ravel’s “Piano Concerto in G major”, nestled between Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Five Fragments” and “Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43”.

On 23^rd April 2010, Julia and cellist Victoria Simonsen, clarinetist Sarah Watts and flautist Jennifer George premiered Ian Vine’s “Perfect Objects” at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England.

The London Philharmonic Choir and orchestra appeared at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on 1^st May 2010 for a performance of Brahms’ “Rhapsody for Alto, Male Chorus and Orchestra”, Franz Liszt’s A Faust Symphony, and Richard Wagner’s “A Faust Overture”.

Julia honed her chamber chops on 9^th July 2010 with the European Camerata at Sint-Pieterskerk in Leuven, Belgium, where they performed Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48”.

The Hilliard Ensemble joined the LPC and LPO for a concert at Royal Festival Hall on 25^th September 2010 that included Bela Bartok’s The Miraculous Mandarin, Guillaume Dufay’s “Lamentatio sanctae matris ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae”, “Moribus et genere” and “Vergene bella”, Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Symphony No. 63” (“La Roxelane”) and the world premiere of Matteo D’Amico’s “Flight from Byzantium”. The LPO was back at Southbank Centre on 27^th October 2010 for Brahms’ “Symphony No. 3 in F”, Mahler’s “Kindertotenlieder” and Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 5 in D” (“Reformation”). Then they returned to Dijon, France, and performed Beethoven’s third symphony and Brahms’ second piano concerto, with Nicholas Angelich at the keys, on 12^th November 2010.

On 20^th December 2010, soloists of the LPO, including Julia, entertained at Wigmore Hall in a recital that included Arnold Bax’s “Elegiac trio for Flute, Viola and Harp”, Claude Debussy’s “Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp”, Astor Piazzolla’s “Five Tango Sensations”, Giacomo Puccini’s “Chrysanthemums”, and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Phantasy String Quartet”.

Julia is also a member of The Jigsaw Players, who play chamber music at Wimbledon/Raynes Park in southwest London, and the Health Arts Society, a performing arts group dedicated to healing through music in Canada.

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