James Ehnes facts for kids

James Ehnes, born on January 27, 1976, is a famous Canadian-American musician. He is known for playing the violin and the viola in concerts around the world.

Early Life and Musical Start

James Ehnes was born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. His dad, Alan Ehnes, was a trumpet professor at Brandon University. His mom, Barbara Withey Ehnes, was a ballerina and directed a dance school.

James started playing the violin when he was only four years old. By age nine, he was learning from a well-known Canadian violinist named Francis Chaplin. He later studied at the Meadowmount School of Music and then at The Juilliard School from 1993 to 1997. He won a special award for his amazing musical achievements when he graduated.

When he was just 16, James Ehnes toured with a group called Jeunesses Musicales Canada. This helped him gain early experience performing for audiences.

A Busy Career as a Musician

James Ehnes has played with many of the biggest orchestras in North America. These include the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the U.S. In Canada, he has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

He has also performed with many famous orchestras in Europe. Some of these include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. He has played as a soloist, meaning he performs a special part with the orchestra.

Awards and Honors

James Ehnes has received many important awards for his musical talent.

• In 2005, he received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Brandon University.
• In 2007, he became the youngest person ever chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. This is a big honor for Canadian scholars and artists.
• In 2010, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada, which is one of Canada's highest honors.
• He has won 11 Juno Awards (Canadian music awards) and two Grammy Awards (American music awards).
• In 2008, he won a Gramophone Classical Music Awards for his recording of Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto. He was also named Artist of the Year in 2021 by Gramophone.
• In 2017, he won the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards for being an outstanding instrumentalist.

Teaching and Other Roles

Since 2017, James Ehnes has been a visiting professor of violin at the Royal Academy of Music. In August 2024, he also joined The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as a professor of violin.

He is also the artistic director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society. This means he helps plan and organize their concerts.

James Ehnes is part of a group called the Ehnes Quartet. He plays violin in this group with violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti, violist Che-Yen Chen, and cellist Edward Arron.

His Special Violin

James Ehnes plays on a very old and valuable violin. It is a 1715 "ex-Marsick" Stradivarius. Stradivarius violins are famous for their beautiful sound and are very rare.

Personal Life

James Ehnes lives in Ellenton, Florida, with his wife and their two children. He has dual citizenship, meaning he is a citizen of both Canada and the United States. His parents were American and moved to Canada before he was born.

Discography

James Ehnes has recorded many albums, showcasing his talent on both the violin and viola. His recordings often feature classical music from different composers.

Selected Recordings by James Ehnes

• 1995 Niccolò Paganini: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin
• 2000 Johann Sebastian Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin
• 2006 Samuel Barber, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, William Walton: Violin Concertos (This recording won a Grammy Award!)
• 2007 Edward Elgar: Violin Concerto (This recording won a Gramophone Award!)
• 2013 Benjamin Britten: Violin Concerto | Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1
• 2015 Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
• 2018 James Newton Howard: Violin Concerto, Aaron Jay Kernis: Violin Concerto, Bramwell Tovey: Stream of Limelight (This recording won a Grammy Award!)
• 2021 Eugène Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for solo violin
• 2024 Jean Sibelius: Works for Violin and Orchestra

Recordings with the Ehnes Quartet

• 2016 Franz Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 | Jean Sibelius: String Quartet in D minor
• 2021 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 13 | Grosse Fuge
• 2022 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 15 | String Quartet No. 16

See also

In Spanish: James Ehnes para niños

• List of Canadian musicians
• List of contemporary classical violinists