"...mercifully free of affectation or vanity, yet blessed with as stunning a technique and as intriguing a musical personality as any violinist on the circuit, James Ehnes seems set to become one of classical music's biggest names." Richard Morrison, The Times
Born in 1976 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, James Ehnes has rapidly established a pre-eminent reputation among young concert violinists. Ehnes has already performed with many of the major orchestras of the world including Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New York, London Symphony, Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, DSO Berlin and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with numerous leading conductors including Ashkenazy, Alsop, Sir Andrew Davis, Dutoit, Ivan Fischer, Paavo Järvi, Maazel, Mackerras, Noseda, Robertson, Saraste and Thielemann.
This season (07-08) sees Ehnes return to the New York Philharmonic with Maazel, and includes performances with the San Francisco, Detroit and New World symphonies, a visit to the Prague Autumn Festival with the BBC Scottish Symphony and Volkov and performances with the Halle Orchestra and Konzerthausorchester Berlin. The season also includes extended tours of South America and Australia. Highlights of the 2008/9 season in Europe will include debut appearances with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Gürzenich Orchestra and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and return visits to the Philharmonia and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Last summer Ehnes made two notable appearances at the BBC Proms, performing the Barber Concerto with the Bournemouth Symphony and Marin Alsop and premiering a new work for violin and piano by Aaron Jay Kernis in a Proms Chamber Music recital.
James Ehnes maintains a busy recital schedule appearing at Festivals such as City of London, Ravinia, Montreux, Chaise-Dieu and the White Nights in St Petersburg. He gave his debut Wigmore Hall recital in February 2007 to great critical acclaim. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with Andsnes, Lortie, Vogler and Yo-Yo Ma. In May 2007 Ehnes was appointed Associate Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society.
Ehnes is an extensive recording artist, most recently releasing a critically acclaimed live recording of the Elgar Concerto with Sir Andrew Davies and the Philharmonia Orchestra. His recording of the Korngold, Barber and Walton Violin Concertos with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under Bramwell Tovey won a 2008 Grammy Award for best Instrumental Soloist Performance. The recording has received outstanding reviews, Gramophone commenting '[Ehnes's] playing has always been impressive on disc, but here he excels himself in expressive range as well as the tonal beauty, with expressive rubato perfectly controlled….an outstanding disc in every way. ' Other recent recordings include the Dvorak Violin Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic and Noseda and the complete Mozart Violin Concerti with a hand-picked orchestra directed by Ehnes himself. BBC Music Magazine selected this Mozart disc as the benchmark recording of this repertoire.
Ehnes began violin studies at the age of four, became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin aged nine, made his orchestral debut with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal aged 13, and graduated from The Juilliard School in 1997, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music.
James Ehnes plays the "Ex Marsick" Stradivarius of 1715 and gratefully acknowledges its extended loan from the Fulton Collection.
James Ehnes is represented by Intermusica.
February 2008/533 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.