Major Notes:

• Violinist James Ehnes is regarded as a very energizing musician in today's world of classical music.

• He comes from a musical family as his father trained on the trumpet and his mother was a noted dancer.

• Ehnes began playing the violin at age 4 with his father teaching him over the next few years until he began lessons at age 9 under Dr. Francis Chaplin.

• In 1989, Ehnes began training at the Meadowmont School of Music in Westport, New York, with Sally Thomas who was associated with the Julliard School of Music.

• Ehnes won a $25,000 award at Meadowmont to help finance further studies.

• Thomas encouraged Ehnes to continue his training at Juilliard so that she could resume working with him.

• Ehnes found that Thomas allowed and encouraged him to develop his own individuality on the violin.

• In 1997, James Ehnes won the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music.

• Following graduation from Juilliard, Ehnes decided to stay and live in New York.

• Ehnes continued his musical career by performing in over 30 countries with many world famous orchestras.

• He is the youngest individual to ever become a Fellow in the Royal Society of Canada and has been appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada.