Calgary Phil Welcomes James Ehnes For Concert

 The Calgary Philharmonic will welcome back Canada’s superstar of the violin for the concert On Stage with James Ehnes on November 30. Ehnes joins the Orchestra for a performance of Johannes Brahms’ grand musical pillar, Violin Concerto in D Major.

In doing so, Ehnes will be setting bow to string on a piece that he has played for over three decades. Yet, despite his familiarity with this staple of the violin repertoire, he says he still feels a great ‘responsibility’ in how he conveys the work to audiences.

“I know what [Brahms’ Violin Concerto] has meant to me in my life, and that's a very, very great deal,” says Ehnes. “It's a big responsibility to be brought in to try to make however many hundreds of people love the piece as much as I do, and I hope that I can do that. I hope that I can communicate that message in such a way that people will come out of it feeling as I do that this art form is wonderful and a reflection of the best parts of human nature.”

In addition to the concerto, the evening also features Calgary Phil Music Director Rune Bergmann leading the Orchestra through the stormy passion and sweeping melodies of Jean Sibelius’ First Symphony.

More About James Ehnes

James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most sought-after musicians on the international stage. Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism and an unfaltering musicality, Ehnes is a favourite guest at the world’s most celebrated concert halls.

Recent orchestral highlights include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, London Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Cleveland Orchestra.

Ehnes has an extensive discography and has won many awards for his recordings, including two Grammys, three Gramophone Awards, and eleven Juno Awards. In 2021, Ehnes was announced as the recipient of the coveted Artist of the Year title in the 2021 Gramophone Awards.  

Ehnes began violin studies at the age of five, became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin aged nine, and made his orchestra debut with L’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal aged 13. He continued his studies with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music upon his graduation in 1997. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, where he is a Visiting Professor. As of summer 2024, he is a Professor of Violin at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.

 

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