Justin Bruns
Email: jbruns1@kennesaw.edu
Director of Chamber Music and Assistant Concertmaster, School of Music
Justin has been with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) since 2006 and holds the Mary and Cherry Emerson Chair. Actively involved in teaching and bringing music to young audiences, Mr. Bruns has given master classes at Bradley University, Kennesaw State University, Denver Young Artists Orchestra, taught classes in orchestra repertoire at the University of Colorado and Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra, and consulted at Medomak Conducting Institute and HarpArts, as well as maintaining a private teaching and coaching studio. 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.
As a chamber musician, Mr. Bruns has performed throughout the United States and England, appearing with ensembles such as the Kocapelli String Quartet, Brave New Works, and Michigan Chamber Players. He was a performer on the Faculty Tuesdays Recital Series at the University of Colorado, with the String in the Mountains Music Festival, North Georgia Music Festival, and Georgian Chamber Players. He has also performed cycles of the Brahms, Beethoven, and late Mozart sonatas. As 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.
Before moving to Atlanta Mr. Bruns was assistant concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and served as concertmaster of the Boulder Bach Festival. He has also played in Symphony II of Chicago, the Houston Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, and IRIS Chamber Orchestra, besides having toured Germany and Italy with the American Sinfonietta. He has spent summers at the Aspen Music Festival, Beijing Music Festival, BRAVO Vail Valley Music Festival, and Bellingham Music Festival, and he maintains his affiliation as concertmaster with the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California. He has been a guest concertmaster with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and Sao Paulo Symphony (OSESP).
Mr. Bruns began his violin 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 including the Colorado, Michigan Pops, and Amarillo Symphonies, and Sinfonia of Colorado. In England he has appeared with the Chester Philharmonic Orchestra and Stockport Symphony. He received his master's degree from Rice University, where he studied with Kathleen Winkler and Raphael Fliegel.