Julie Albers
Cello
Soloist
American cellist Julie Albers is already recognized for her superlative artistry, intense musicianship, and her charismatic and radiant performing style. She was born in 1980 to a musical family in Longmont, Colorado. She began violin studies at the age of two with her mother, switching to cello at four. She moved to Cleveland during her junior year of high school to pursue studies through the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Richard Aaron. Ms. Albers soon was awarded the Grand Prize at the XIII Concours International de Jeunes Concertistes, held in Douai, France and as a result toured France as soloist with Orchestre Symphonique de Douai.
Julie Albers made her major orchestral debut with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1998, and thereafter has performed in recital and with orchestras in the U.S., Europe, Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand. In 2001 she won Second Prize in Munich's Internationalen Musikwettbewerbes der ARD, at which time she was also awarded the Wilhelm-Weichsler-Musikpreis der Stadt Osnabruch 2001. While in Germany, she recorded solo and chamber music of Kodaly for the Bayerischer Rundfunk, performances that have been heard throughout Europe. In November, 2003, Ms. Albers was named the first Gold Medal Laureate of South Korea's Gyeongnam International Music Competition, winning the $25,000 Grand Prize.
In America, Ms. Albers has performed with the orchestras of Indianapolis, Seattle, Ann Arbor, Annapolis, Pensacola, Syracuse, Stamford, Canton, Harrisburg, San Antonio, Dayton, Rhode Island, Boulder, Evansville and Long Island. Her 05-06 engagements included performances with the San Diego, Des Moines, Dayton, Lubbock, West Virginia and Alabama symphony orchestras. She toured throughout New York State as soloist with the Syracuse Symphony. Her New York recital at Steinway Hall was filmed for NHK for telecast throughout Japan, China and Korea, while her Washington DC performance for the Voice of America has been seen and heard around the world.
Julie Albers performs on a Lorenzo Ventapane cello, made in 1790, and makes her home in New York City.