James Ehnes

Born in 1976 in Brandon (Manitoba, Canada), James Ehnes has established himself as one of the foremost violinists of his generation. Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism and an unfaltering musicality, Ehnes is a favourite guest of many of the world’s most respected conductors including Ashkenazy, Alsop, Sir Andrew Davis, Dutoit, Ivan Fischer, Paavo Järvi, Maazel, Noseda, Robertson and Runnicles. Ehnes’ long list of orchestra partners includes, amongst others, the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New York, London Symphony, the Philharmonia, the BBC Philharmonic, the Czech Philharmonic, the Deutsche Sinfonieorchester Berlin and the NHK Symphony Orchestras.

Highlights of the 2014-15 season include the London Symphony with Alsop, the Wiener Symphoniker with Elder, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony with Orozco-Estrada, the Danish National Symphony with Noseda, the Orchestre National de Lyon with Yu Long, the Royal Philharmonic with Dutoit, the Deutsche Sinfonieorchester Berlin and the Sydney Symphony with Søndergård, the Boston Symphony with Denève and the Oslo Philharmonic with Petrenko, as well as an appearance at the BBC Proms with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and a tour of Europe with the Toronto Symphony, including a performance at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

Alongside his concert work, James Ehnes maintains a busy recital schedule. He has appeared at festivals such as City of London, Ravinia, Montreux, Chaise-Dieu, the Festival de Pâques in Aix, and in 2009 he made a sensational debut at the Salzburg Festival performing the Paganini Caprices. Ehnes is a regular guest at the Wigmore Hall in London and at the 2007 BBC Proms he premiered a new work for violin and piano by Aaron Jay Kernis. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with leading artists such as Andsnes, Lortie, Vogler and Yo-Yo Ma; in 2010, he formally established the Ehnes Quartet, with which he made his debut European tour in February 2014 with concerts at the Wigmore Hall and the Auditorium du Louvre amongst other venues. Ehnes is the Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society.

Ehnes has an extensive discography and has won many awards for his recordings including a 2008 Gramophone Award for his live recording of the Elgar Concerto with Sir Andrew Davis and the Philharmonia Orchestra. His recording of the Korngold, Barber and Walton violin concerti won a 2008 Grammy Award for “Best Instrumental Soloist Performance” and a 2008 JUNO award for “Best Classical Album of the Year”. His 2010 recording of the Paganini Caprices earned him universal praise, with Diapason writing of the disc that “Ehnes confirms the predictions of Erick Friedman, an eminent student of Heifetz: ‘there is only one like him born every hundred years.’” His recording of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, recorded live with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Ashkenazy, received outstanding reviews. The Daily Telegraph wrote of the disc that “Ehnes’ gorgeous, supple tone is combined with that instinct for a composer’s distinctive character that makes his interpretations so compelling.” Ehnes’ recent recording of the Bartók Concerti was nominated for a 2012 Gramophone Award in the concerto category. Recent releases include concerti by Britten, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Khachaturian.

Ehnes began his violin studies at the age of four, became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin at the age of nine, made his orchestral debut with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal at the age of thirteen and graduated from The Juilliard School in 1997, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for “Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music”. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and in 2010 was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.
James Ehnes plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715.