Julia Wedman

Canadian classical violinist. Violinist Julia Wedman grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. After studies at UWO, Indiana University, and the University of Toronto, she joined the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in 2005 and quickly developed a reputation for her solo performances with the group. In addition to being featured regularly on the group's home series in Toronto, Julia has performed solos on tours in Canada, the US, Germany, France, Mexico, Puerto Rico, China, Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. She is also a member of I Furiosi Baroque Ensemble and the Eybler String Quartet, who are getting rave reviews for their newly released recordings of Beethoven’s Op. 18. Her debut CD of Heinrich Biber's Mystery Sonatas is available online or at concerts. Julia started her first string quartet at the age of 15 and has been dedicated to playing chamber music ever since. Recent performance highlights include guest concertmaster/solo debuts with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (London) and the Orchestra of the 18th Century (Amsterdam), as well as Eybler Quartet’s work on faculty of the groundbreaking new summer progam at the Banff Centre for the Arts, EQ: Evolution of the String Quartet, with the Parker and JACK quartets. Julia has been focusing intensively on the performance of J.S. Bach’s music both in recital and as part of the exciting new Toronto Bach Festival, directed by Tafelmusik oboist John Abberger. She is also midway through a three-year cycle of Bach’s solo violin music in collaboration with the fantastically expressive dancer Brian Solomon for the Gallery Players of Niagara. The Globe and Mail describes her playing as “extraordinarily intuitive,” “highly communicative,” and, her personal favourite, “zesty”! As a student, she developed a passion for historically informed performance, inspired by her work at Indiana University with baroque violinist Stanley Ritchie, as well as studies at the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto. Over the past few years, Julia has become increasingly sought after as a teacher and coach. In addition to teaching privately, at Tafelmusik’s Summer and Winter Institutes, and the University of Toronto, she has been invited for short-term residencies at the Guildhall School for Music and Drama (London, England), the University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon), the University of Western Ontario (London), Queens University (Kingston), Fredonia University (NY), and the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY). Performance highlights included debuts with the Saskatoon Symphony with Eric Paetkau, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with Masaaki Suzuki and the Academy of Ancient Music with Richard Egarr. Violinist Julia Wedman brings an "infectious vitality" to music (Victoria Times Colonist). Her playing has been described as "highly communicative", and "extraordinarily lithe and intuitive" (Globe and Mail). Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Julia completed her studies in music at the University of Western Ontario, the University of Toronto and Indiana University at Bloomington. With a life long passion for chamber music, she formed her first serious string quartet at age 15. In addition to performances with the Eybler Quartet, she is currently a member the innovative young baroque ensemble I FURIOSI, known for their imaginative and unconventional programming. In addition to their successful Toronto concert series, IF has performed at music festivals in Canada, the USA, Germany, England, and Ireland. Julia's debut solo recording of Heinrich Biber's Mystery Sonatas (Sonoluminus) was released in the spring of 2011 and has received rave reviews. The CD was featured in the July 2011 issue of Gramophone magazine, saying "Rather exceptionally, one suspects, Wedman has approached Biber's music as a true pilgrim, interpreting key moments in the life of Christ thoughtfully, vividly and with evident personal humility and warmth. Her performances exude humanity and have about them a radiance that somehow transcends the sound of her lovely 1694 instrument."