Critics rave, “Julia Heinen is a sensation,” “Absolutely brilliant,” “Plays with intensity, conviction and impressive virtuosity.”
As a soloist, Julia Heinen has performed hundreds of recitals throughout the United States and had the distinct pleasure of premiering several works written specifically for her. In February of 2003, she performed a recital including several new works at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and recently finished a compact disc recording including several of these pieces which was released in the Fall of 2007 by Centaur Records.
In addition to Dr. Heinen’s solo performances, she is often heard as a chamber musician performing most notably with Trio Chiaroscuro and the Oneota Chamber Players. She is also an accomplished ensemble player having served as principal clarinetist with the American Wind Symphony, a professional wind ensemble which tours the United States and Europe. As an orchestral player, she has served as principal clarinetist with the Santa Clarita, LaCrosse, Dubuque, Valdosta, Greenville, Augusta and Rochester Symphony Orchestras and was featured several times as a concerto soloist with those ensembles. In addition, her orchestral performance also include several concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra and she can frequently be heard locally on the Hour of Power orchestra from the Crystal Cathedral.
As an artist and clinician for the Selmer Corporation, Dr. Heinen does frequent clinics and masterclasses in many universities and colleges throughout the United States. Originally from Minnesota, she currently lives in Los Angeles, where she serves as professor of music at California State University, Northridge, teaching clarinet, coaching chamber music and coordinating the musicianship program. She holds a masters degree from the University of Michigan, an artist diploma from Northwestern University and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. Her teachers have included Herbert Blayman, Robert Marcellus, Timothy Paradise and Cloyde Williams. She performs exclusively on Selmer Signature Artist Series clarinets, mouthpieces and barrels made by Clark Fobes and bells made by Morrie Backun.