Julian Ward
"It was such a pleasure to hear your quartet in person and get to fully experience the piece. The colors of the work really came to life, and your use of the saxophone quartet brought out the sophisticated quality of the instrument that is so often neglected today."
- Andrew Steinberg, director of the Megalopolis Saxophone Orchestra on Lilac Lights (as performed by The MANA Quartet).
Biography
Julian is a musician who composes music and performs a variety of styles and instruments: Instruments include: Flute, drums, voice, piano, guitar, bass guitar, glockenspiel, tin whistle, banjo, etc...
Julian Ward (b.1994) is a native of Greenville, North Carolina and is a recently announced winner for the Beth Ratay Call for Scores for Mezzo Soprano and Voice (2022) with Spirits of the Dead. He won a performance of his fixed media work: Distances in Between for 2022 NYCEMF. Julian won the Beth Ratay Call for Flute (2021), with Vyvirian Folk Songs. He is the co-winner for the 2021 Arcady-RBC Emerging Artist Competition for his piece, Spirits of the Dead. He is also the acceptor of a 2020 performance of Distances In Between for the NYCEMF. Julian was the winner of the fourth-place prize of the Megalopolis Saxophone Orchestra 2019 call for scores for his piece, Lilac Lights (2018). Julian graduated in 2019 from the University of North Carolina Greensboro with a Master of Music degree in composition. In 2017, he graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelors of Music in flute performance and music composition. Julian writes music for a large variety of ensembles. He has had his music read and or performed by ensembles such as the Beo Quartet, Roomful of Teeth, Michael Lowenstern, Loadbang, Yarn/Wire, the Greensboro Symphony, Sharon Harms, the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet, and others. Julian likes to use many different methods and mixed instrumentation in his works and also draws from various sources and styles to inform his compositional process. Emphasis of timbral character and strong contrasts are elemental to Julian's compositions. He recently collaborated with Isaac Ward, co-composing, engineering, and producing the music and sound-effects for two educational videos by the North Carolina 4-H (2021).
Julian has recently been collaborating with his brother Isaac on a band youtube channel called, Trying to Understand: youtube.com/channel/UCCzsdrmXpIl2RldWsCv58uw
They have also been working together on a more humor focused youtube channel, No Humor is Good Humor (it has music on it as well): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrLU5G-3f8BszE06EGji8dQ
Julian is also a recent co-winner of the Global Film Exhibition’s 2024 prize for an animated short called “May I Go to the Restroom? (which includes original music by isaac and I): https://youtu.be/at6-O-unvQ0?si=khAs7v2l8jMSkpqd
Photos
Music
Julian likes to challenge himself with each composition he makes, striving to use contrasts and interesting orchestrations to create musical form. Be sure to check out Peter the Great and Julian's other pieces!
Score previews and recordings can be found in the subpages. Please contact him below, if you would like to get the full scores to play the music!
CONTACT
JULIAN WARD
ADDRESS
Greensboro, North Carolina
