Julia Hwang

Violin

Primary Academic Program: Bard Conservatory of Music: Preparatory Division

Biography: Praised by Gramophone for displaying a “model of expressive purity”, Julia Hwang gave her professional solo debut with the English National Baroque Chamber Orchestra at the age of nine, performing Bach's Concerto in A minor. Following her debut at the Wigmore Hall, other recent concerts include recitals at St Martin in the Fields and the Royal Albert Hall, solo and chamber performances at Yellow Barn, Vermont and the Schoenberg Centre in Vienna, and performances of the Bruch, Korngold and Mendelssohn concertos in the UK and South Korea. An avid chamber musician, she has performed in ensembles around the world.

Julia has appeared many times on live television and radio through the BBC and ITV, and was featured in a BBC4 documentary about ‘The Lark Ascending’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Her performance of this work was specifically chosen by the BBC and the documentary has been re-broadcast on many occasions due to popular demand. Her latest CD, featuring works by Grieg, Lutoslawski, Wieniawski and Vaughan Williams, was met with critical acclaim, reviewed by Gramophone as representing “old-world wit and warmth”.

She is a cultural ambassador for the BRACE Alzheimer’s Research, and is also a Concordia Foundation Artist, which has led to many performances in London’s hospitals and care centres. Other charity performances have included concerts to raise money for, among others, The Alzheimer’s Society, the NSPCC, The Prince’s Trust, and MacMillan Cancer Relief. 

Julia completed her studies as a Fulbright Scholar at Yale University under the tutelage of Ani Kavafian, and undertook her undergraduate degree as a University scholar at St John’s College, Cambridge. She is the winner of numerous prizes, including the Presser Foundation Award, Hattori Foundation Award, the annual Musicians Company Award, and the Countess of Munster Prize.

She plays on a Peter Guarnerius of Mantua violin c.1698, on generous loan from the Alderson Trust.
Department: Arts