James Ehnes facts for kids

James Ehnes, CM OM FRSC (born January 27, 1976) is a famous Canadian concert violinist and violist. He is known for his amazing performances and recordings of classical music.

Early Life and Musical Start

James Ehnes was born in Brandon, Manitoba. His dad, Alan Ehnes, was a trumpet professor. His mom, Barbara Withey Ehnes, was a ballerina and dance director.

James started playing the violin when he was just four years old. By age nine, he became a special student of the well-known Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin. He later studied at the Meadowmount School of Music and then at The Juilliard School. When he graduated from Juilliard, he won a special award for his outstanding musical achievements.

When he was only 16, James Ehnes toured with Jeunesses Musicales Canada. This showed how talented he was from a young age.

A Career in Classical Music

James Ehnes has performed with many of the world's top orchestras. In North America, he has played with groups like the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Canada.

In Europe, he has been a soloist with famous orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He has played with many other great orchestras around the world too.

Awards and Recognition

James Ehnes has received many important awards for his music.

• 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.
• In 2010, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest honors.
• His recordings have won many awards, including 11 Junos (Canadian music awards) and two Grammies (international music awards).
• He also won two Gramophone Classical Music Awards, including "Artist of the Year" in 2021.
• In 2017, he won the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards for being an outstanding instrumentalist.

His Special Instruments

James Ehnes plays on a very old and valuable violin. It is a 1715 "ex-Marsick" Stradivarius. These violins were made by the famous Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari.

Teaching and Other Roles

James Ehnes also shares his knowledge with others.

• In 2017, he became a visiting professor of violin at the Royal Academy of Music.
• Starting in August 2024, he joined The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as a professor of violin.
• He is the artistic director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society. This means he helps plan their concerts and events.

The Ehnes Quartet

James Ehnes is also 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. They play chamber music, which is music for a small group of instruments.

James Ehnes lives in Ellenton, Florida with his wife and two children.

Discography

James Ehnes has released many recordings throughout his career. Here are some of his notable albums:

James Ehnes Albums

• 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 album won a Grammy Award!
• 2007 Edward Elgar: Violin Concerto - This won a Gramophone Classical Music Awards for Best Concerto.
• 2011 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
• 2015 Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
• 2018 James Newton Howard: Violin Concerto, Aaron Jay Kernis: Violin Concerto - This album won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.
• 2021 Eugène Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for solo violin
• 2024 Jean Sibelius: Works for Violin and Orchestra

Ehnes Quartet Albums

• 2016 Franz Schubert: String Quartet No. 14
• 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