Introduction

Described as a “phenomenal sax soloist” (Chicago Tribune) with a “penchant for performance… impressive agility, control, and stylistic ability” (Chicago Classical Review) Julian Velasco (he/him) is a Chicago-based Mexican-American artist, educator, and advocate for contemporary arts. Raised in the diverse musical culture of Los Angeles, his own musical background draws from classical, jazz, experimental, and popular styles whose influences inform his approach to all music.

Known as “both an infectiously joyous interpreter of new music and a monster improviser” (Chicago Tribune), Velasco has premiered over 100 new works, commissioning and collaborating with a wide range of artists including the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Ron Carter, Mei-Ann Chen, Billy Childs, Nathalie Joachim, Christian McBride, Nico Muhly, Alex Mincek PRISM Quartet, Annika Socolofsky, Zhou Tian, and Rodney Whitaker.

His first solo album As We Are (released on Cedille Records) garnered national attention by debuting at #4 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical Album Charts and was regarded as, “an exciting album of contemporary music for the saxophone performed with passion and precision”, (The Whole Note), “fabulous” (Third Coast Review), and “gorgeous… raucous… lovely…. what a way for a young saxophonist to break into the big time.” (Gramophone).

Velasco is the Artistic Director and soprano saxophonist of ~Nois saxophone quartet. Founded in 2016, ~Nois has become one of the premier ensembles in the U.S. by combining contemporary classical music and improvisation in unique concert experiences. Heralded as “fiendishly good” (Chicago Tribune), ~Nois has been awarded top prizes at prestigious chamber music competitions including the Fischoff and the M-Prize competitions. Since its founding, ~Nois has given over 120 performances in 22 states from coast to coast and has premiered over 70 works. ~Nois’ recent commission, “I Tell You Me”, by Annika Socolofksy was called “grotesquely gorgeous” by the Chicago Tribune and the premiere performance was included in their list of “Chicago’s Top 10 moments in classical music, opera, and jazz that defined 2021”.

Velasco was presented in his orchestral debut at age 17 as a soloist with the South Coast Symphony. In the 2021/22 season, he presented the world premiere of James Aikman’s saxophone quartet concerto “Alarm!” along with PRISM Quartet and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. In the 2022/23 season, his Symphony Center concerto-debut was met with critical acclaim. Performing Roberto Sierra’s Concerto for Saxophones with Mei-Ann Chen and the Chicago Sinfonietta, he demonstrated a “pinpoint accuracy… crystalline high notes and long arching phrases” (Chicago Classical Review), “conjuring distinct timbres on a dime — burly passages evaporated into wispy harmonics and arpeggios flowed with the liquid ease of a bowed instrument. Stylistic pirouettes seemed just as effortless” (Chicago Tribune).

Cedille Record’s first ever emerging artist and a Luminarts Cultural Foundation Fellow in Classical Music, Velasco has garnered top prizes from organizations including Music Teachers National Association, Vandoren Emerging Artists, Yamaha Young Performing Artists, and the North American Saxophone Alliance. Velasco holds degrees from Northwestern University, where he is currently a doctoral candidate, and Michigan State University, where he was one of the only students to receive degrees in both Classical and Jazz Performance concurrently. His teachers include James Barrera, Diego Rivera, Joseph Lulloff, and Taimur Sullivan.