Julia Schilz

Biography supplied for the 2026 competition.

Julia Schilz enjoys a wide range of musical endeavors as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. She completed her undergraduate studies at The Juilliard School with Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein, where she is currently pursuing a graduate degree. She began her studies at The Cleveland Institute of Music through the Sato Center for Suzuki Studies under the tutelage of Kimberly Meier-Sims and Stephen Sims.

As a soloist, Julia Schilz is First Prize winner of the 2025 Klein Competition. 2026-27 season highlights include concerto engagements with the Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, Peninsula Symphony, and recitals presented by the Gualala Arts Centre. She has performed in Severance Hall with the Cleveland Pops and Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra as a concerto competition winner, and has also appeared with the Lakeland Civic Orchestra as concerto competition winner in their junior and senior divisions. She won first prize in the 2019 Ohio MTNA senior string division and was the recipient of The Cleveland Orchestra Alice B. Weeks Scholarship Award. In the 2025-26 season, Julia appeared as a soloist with the Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra and San Francisco Chamber Orchestra.

Julia Schilz is passionate about the symphonic repertoire, as evidenced by her engagement in a breadth of orchestral experiences. She currently performs with the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Julia served as concertmaster of the 2025 Kyoto Festival Orchestra, as well as leading the Juilliard Orchestra in performances at David Geffen Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. She accepted a full-time contract for the Houston Symphony’s 2022-2023 season where she continues to perform on a substitute basis.

Julia also has a robust background in chamber music. She performed Meredith Monk’s quartet Stringsongs at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall in Spring 2025, and with a trio premiered the Verdehr Prize-winning piece at Alice Tully Hall. She performs with the Jupiter Chamber Players, participates in Juilliard’s Chamberfest and has spent summers at Music in the Vineyards, Music@Menlo, Chamberfest Cleveland, Yellow Barn, Four Seasons, Kneisel Hall, Taos, Heifetz, and Encore chamber music festivals.