Julia Kirk is a violist, violinist, and pianist from Jackson, Mississippi. Her professors have included Vince Massimino, Rachel Jordan, Song Xie, Marta Szlubowska, Alexandre Brussilovsky, and Bacco Liu. In the summer of 2013, she attended the inaugural year of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, which toured to Russia and England under the baton of Valery Gergiev. In the summer of 2014, she received a scholarship to attend the orchestra program at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, where she won an audition to be the concertmaster of the Interlochen Philharmonic and assistant concertmaster of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra. She also was honored to receive the Maddy Summer Artist Award. In the summer of 2015, Julia attended the NYO-USA for a second time and won an audition to be the principal second violinist for performances in Carnegie Hall and China under the baton of Charles Dutoit. She has been a substitute violinist and violist for the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra since 2013. In 2015-16, Julia studied at the Conservatoire de Versailles in Versailles, France as a violin performance major. In the summer of 2017, she won the inaugural International Viola Competition of Mississippi and shortly after attended the Aspen Music Festival and School as a violinist on a fellowship. She has made solo appearances with the Symphonic Orchestra of Cuzco, the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, and the Master Camerata as part of the Premier Orchestral Institute in Jackson, MS. Julia recently graduated from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in May of 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Conducting and Theatre. She currently studies with James Dunham at Rice University, pursuing a Master of Music in Viola Performance.