Winona Symphony Orchestra Introduces New Concertmaster
The Winona Symphony Orchestra is excited to introduce their new concertmaster: Julia Kirk.
Julia Kirk is a nineteen year old violinist, violist, and pianist from Jackson, Mississippi. She started playing violin, her primary instrument, when she was five years old. Her professors have included Vince Massimino, the assistant concertmaster of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Rachel Jordan, Song Xie, the principal second violinist of the MSO, Marta Szlubowska, the concertmaster of the MSO, Alexandre Brussilovsky of the Conservatoire de Versailles, and currently Bacco Liu at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
In 2012, Kirk received a scholarship to attend Stringwood, a string quartet summer festival in Minnesota. In the summer of 2013, she attended the inaugural year of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, which toured to Russia and England under the baton of Valery Gergiev. In the summer of 2014, she received a scholarship to attend the 6-week orchestra program at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, where she won an audition to be the concertmaster of the Interlochen Philharmonic and assistant concertmaster of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra. She also was honored to receive the Maddy Summer Artist Award.
In the summer of 2015, Kirk attended the NYO-USA for a second time and won an audition to be the principal second violinist for performances at Carnegie Hall and in China under the baton of Charles Dutoit. For several years she played in the Belhaven Chamber Orchestra and the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra in Mississippi, as well as the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Last year, Kirk studied at the Conservatoire de Versailles in Versailles, France, and she currently studies in Winona as a violin performance major at St. Mary’s University.
Ms. Kirk will make her debut with the Winona Symphony Orchestra at their Fall Concert. She will be a featured soloist along with Susan Radloff (violin), Elizabeth Loudon (viola) and Troy Birdsong (double bass) on Mozart’s Serenade in D Major, KV 239. The concert will also include Serenade for String Orchestra, Opus 11 by Dag Wirén and Serenade in E Major, Opus 22 by Antonin Dvořák
The Fall Concert will be held on Saturday, October 8th at 7:30pm in the Harriett Johnson Auditorium, Somsen hall on the Winona State University campus. There will be a preconcert talk beginning at 7pm. Tickets are available on-line at winonasymphony.org, Hardt’s Music (115 E 3rd St) or at the door prior to the performance. Tickets are $15 for adults and $6 for students. K-12 students may attend free with a paid adult or with their High School ID.
The Winona Symphony Orchestra is a member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit riverartsalliance.org/join.