Justin Julian

Justin Julian enjoys a diverse career as a viola soloist, chamber musician and section leader. Justin is currently Principal Viola of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and was first appointed Associate Principal Viola aged 21. He has also performed as guest Principal Viola with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and worked with the Sydney Symphony and Opera Australia orchestras. 

Justin’s recent solo engagements include Britten’s Lachrymae and Holly Harrison’s Hotwire with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. He has performed at major festivals including Aldeburgh (UK) and Lucerne (Switzerland) and collaborated as a chamber musician with Ensemble Musikfabrik, KLASSIK underground, Omega Ensemble, Pekka Kuusisto, Hartmut Rohde and others. Recently, Justin was the only Australian competitor to reach the quarter-finals of the 2025 Lionel Tertis and 2024 Max Rostal international viola competitions.

Justin studied at Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Roger Benedict. He gained further inspiration from Tabea Zimmermann at the Kronberg Academy Violin & Viola Masterclasses, Nils Mönkemeyer at the Weimar Masterclasses, Hartmut Rohde at the Carl Flesch Academy and other courses such as the Lucerne Festival Academy and Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme. Justin’s orchestral training included the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellowship and Australian Chamber Orchestra Emerging Artist programs. He also received chamber music masterclasses with Eberhard Feltz and members of the Borodin, Takács, Fine Arts and Doric string quartets.

Justin performs on a viola made by Romolo Parmeggiani in Modena, 1921 and is generously loaned the ‘ex-Vieux’ 1931 Eugene Sartory bow.