The Canadian violinist James Ehnes is one of the most sought-after musicians of his generation. A protégé of violinist Francis Chaplin, he made his debut at the age of 13 with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. He studied at the Meadowmount School of Music and the Juilliard School, and in 1997 received the Peter Mennin Prize for “Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music.” In 2010, he was appointed to the Order of Canada, and in 2017 he was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Award. James Ehnes performs regularly in the world’s most prestigious concert halls. Recently and in upcoming seasons, he has appeared with or will appear with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he serves as Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society and performs with the Ehnes Quartet. He also gives regular recital performances at venues such as Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Verbier Festival, and the Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence. For his extensive discography, James Ehnes has received numerous awards, including two Grammys, three Gramophone Awards, and eleven Juno Awards. At the 2021 Gramophone Awards, he was named “Artist of the Year,” in part for his creation of the online concert series “Recitals from Home,” released in June 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2024, James Ehnes has been a professor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. He performs on the 1715 “Marsick” Stradivarius.
