Julie Castor, violin

A native of Ashland, Ohio, violinist Julie Castor recently performed at Carnegie Hall alongside members of the New York Philharmonic, MET Opera Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra in the Mahler for the Children of AIDS concert. Ms. Castor was a prizewinner of the Tuesday Musical Association Scholarship Competition and the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition. Ms. Castor has also appeared as a soloist with the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra. She has performed in master classes for Martha Caplin, Mikhail Kopelman, Bracha Malkin, Sergey Ostrovsky, Axel Strauss, Peter Winograd, and Walter Verdehr.

 An experienced orchestral musician, Ms. Castor has performed under the batons of such conductors as Joanna Carneiro, Sidney Harth, Arie Lipsky, Kurt Masur, Rossen Milanov, and Yoav Talmi in orchestras such as the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, Garden State Philharmonic, East Central Ohio Regional Orchestra, Manhattan School of Music Chamber Sinfonia, and University of Akron Symphony.  A strong believer in bringing the arts to local communities, Ms. Castor presents a weekly recital series at the New York Presbyterian Hospital.  She also served as the student coordinator of Tuesday Musical Association’s Brahms Allegro Junior Music Club and as student advisor for the Manhattan School of Music Student Philanthropy Program.  

Ms. Castor is a degree candidate at Manhattan School of Music, studying with Isaac Malkin. She has also studied at the Meadowmount School of Music, the Academy of Music Festival in New York, EuroArts Music Festival, Goppisberger Festival, and The University of Akron. Chamber music studies are with Laurie Smukler, Kenneth Cooper, and members of the American String Quartet. Former teachers include Amy Barlowe, Alan Bodman, Geoffrey Fischer, Sheila Helser, and Elizabeth Pastor.

This is Ms. Castor's debut as a soloist with the Ashland Symphony Orchestra.