Justin Saulnier (violin) – Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition

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Violinist Justin Saulnier started learning to play his instrument when he was 4 years old. Despite his many years of dedication to the art form, however, Saulnier admits the thought of pursuing a career in music did not really come into play until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Then, he started to use his free time to improve his knowledge and skills, and his teacher at the time, Donnie Deacon, guided him toward university auditions. Saulnier now studies at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music under the tutelage of Andrew Wan.

Saulnier is the winner of the 2024 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, where he was supported by collaborative pianist Gaspard Tanguay-Labrosse. Sauliner says that he and Tanguay-Labrosse worked closely together to offer a program that suited Eckhardt-Gramatté ’s unusual emphasis. “Most competitions focus on violin or other instrumental playing,” Saulnier says, “But this one focused on musicianship, recital programming, and creativity, which are equally as important.” This competition was the highlight of Saulnier’s last season, alongside other memorable performances with the National Art Centre Orchestra at FanFair, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal in the OSM Competition Finals, as well as the McGill Symphony Orchestra.

In the coming season, Saulnier is looking forward to the Eckhardt-Gramatté winner’s tour with concerts in nine Canadian cities, starting Oct. 16 in Halifax and ending Nov. 25 in Winnipeg. He also plans to do a recital at the Lakeshore Chamber Music Society with the Horatio Quartet on Jan. 17, and to perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor with Sinfonia de Montréal on April 5. With a big year ahead and behind him, Justin reflects that “we might not remember everything about a performance, but we remember the impression and the emotions that it left us.” He hopes to spread this deep love and appreciation for music with all of his audiences.