Justin Bruns

Biography

Justin Bruns joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Concertmaster in 2006 and was appointed Associate Concertmaster this past fall after winning a national audition for the position. In the summer he serves as Concertmaster of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Before moving to Atlanta, Bruns was Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and served as Concertmaster of the Boulder Bach Festival. He has also played with the Houston and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, and toured Germany with the American Sinfonietta. He has spent summers at the Aspen Music Festival, Beijing Music Festival, BRAVO Vail Valley Music Festival, Lakes Area Music Festival, Music in the Mountains Festival and Conservatory in Durango, CO and Bellingham Music Festival. He has been a guest concertmaster with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, IRIS Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Louisville Orchestra and São Paulo Symphony (OSESP).

Actively involved in teaching and bringing music to young audiences, he maintains a private teaching studio and regularly gives master classes, orchestral excerpt courses and chamber music coachings. Through programs of the ASO, he has taught and mentored students in the Talent Development Program, coaches sections of the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra and strives to build relationships with schools and other civic organizations through Community Engagement and Outreach. He served as a teaching assistant at Rice University and participated in the founding and organization of its outreach program. He regularly appeared with Chamber Music Ann Arbor’s outreach program and throughout Colorado with Up Close and Musical. He has served as Director of Chamber Music at Kennesaw State University.

As a chamber musician, Bruns has performed throughout the United States and England. He has appeared on the Faculty Tuesdays Series at the University of Colorado, with the String in the Mountains Music Festival and Michigan Chamber Players. He has also performed cycles of the Brahms, Beethoven and late Mozart sonatas. In the Atlanta area, he has performed with Georgian Chamber Players, Sonic Generator, Bent Frequency, KSU Faculty Chamber Music, ASO Chamber Music Concerts and the North Georgia Music Festival. While he was first violinist of Atlanta Chamber Players, he appeared at the San Miguel de Allende Chamber Music Festival and made his chamber music debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall.

Violinist Justin Bruns began his studies at age three and won his first competition two years later. He made his solo debut with an orchestra at age nine. Since then he has appeared with numerous orchestras throughout the US, South America and UK. Bruns graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan and was awarded the top prize upon graduation, the Stanley Medal. He received his master’s degree from Rice University. Performance highlights of this year are a series of Vivaldi's Four Seasons with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, performances in Lima, Peru, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver and at the Lake Tahoe Music Festival.