The VSA is a very important part of our community! Coming together to master a piece of orchestral music and share it with the larger community is an amazing thing. I believe that humans need to make music together and share it with audiences, regardless of professional or amateur level, and it is something I encourage all students to try out.

Featured Season 52 Second Half Program

Julie has played the violin for 39 years and the viola for 33 years. She started lessons with Sharon Gillespie, a Suzuki teacher in Boulder, CO. She joined her middle school orchestra and transitioned from violin to viola in the space of a single school year. She went from trying to convince her parents to let her quit playing the violin to wanting to pursue a career as a symphonic violist. She credits her orchestra director, Brett Wallace, with this about-face and for his inspiration. “I connected with the viola in a way I hadn't with violin, but now I love both instruments.”

She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in music performance at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and a master’s degree in music performance at University of Denver. She has played as a violist with the San Juan (Durango), Grand Junction, Cheyenne, Fort Collins, Greeley, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Colorado Symphonies. She is a private instructor of violin and viola, both classical and folk styles, at Precedence Music Academy in Montrose where she very much appreciates the community of teachers. In addition, she also assists with sectionals and mentoring for the Valley Youth Orchestra. Julie also plays the Norwegian Hardanger Fiddle and spent a year in Norway studying folk music and culture.

Born in Boulder, CO, she moved to Montrose in August 2009. Shortly thereafter, “I married a widower with four kids and was busy getting the hang of that situation.” In her spare time, she enjoys knitting, sewing, camping, hiking, and ATVing.

Julie joined the VSA around 2012.