Appointed Artistic Director of the Olympic Music Festival in 2014 and praised as a musician of “compelling artistry and power” by the Seattle Times, the gifted American pianist Julio Elizalde leads an active career as soloist, chamber musician, artistic administrator, curator, and educator.
He has performed in many of the major music centers throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America to popular and critical acclaim. Mr. Elizalde has collaborated with a wide range of artists including violinists Itzhak Perlman and Pamela Frank, composers Osvaldo Golijov and Stephen Hough, baritone William Sharp, and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Kronos, and Brentano string quartets.
Mr. Elizalde is a founding member of the New Trio, grand prize winner of the Fischoff and Coleman National Chamber Music Competitions. In 2012, he was honored to be the youngest juror in the history of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Mr. Elizalde received a Bachelor of Music degree with honors from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with Paul Hersh. He holds a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Juilliard School where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal, Joseph Kalichstein, and Robert McDonald.