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 unfaltering musicality, Ehnes is a favorite guest at the world’s most celebrated concert halls.
Recent and upcoming orchestral highlights include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony, LA Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra.
A devoted chamber musician, Ehnes is artistic director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society and leader of the Ehnes Quartet. As a recitalist, he performs regularly at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Center Chicago, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Verbier Festival, Dresden Music Festival and Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence.
During the 2025–26 season, Ehnes embarks on his 50th-birthday recital tour in his native Canada, with performances in every province and territory.
Ehnes has an extensive discography and has won many awards for his recordings, including two Grammys, three Gramophone Awards and 12 Juno Awards. In 2021, Ehnes was named Artist of the Year at the 2021 Gramophone Awards in celebration of his contributions to the recording industry, including the launch of an online recital series titled Recitals from Home, which was released in June 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent closure of concert halls.
Ehnes began violin studies at age 5, became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin at age 9, and made his orchestral debut with L’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal at age 13. He continued his studies with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and The Juilliard School. 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. Since 2024, he has been professor of violin at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
Ehnes plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715. jamesehnes.com