Voice, Piano
Julie Mitchell is a performer and educator from Bradford, PA, whose lifelong musical journey began at a young age. She recalls watching her grandmother play the piano by ear, sparking young Julie's interest in music. She began piano lessons at age 9, and by age 10 she was singing in choral ensembles and even premiered her first composition, titled "Julie's Jingle." In high school, she was an active participant in the elite choral group and attended activities including District Honor Chorus, All-State Chorus (with perfect scores during her sophomore and senior year), and the Governor's Honors Program. She began composing her first musical theater work and choral piece at age 15, premiering her SSA piece "Je T'adore Pour Eternite" at age 17. During this time, she actively played piano and continued her pursuit of music.
Julie holds two Bachelor degrees from Kennesaw State University: a Bachelor of Music in Music Education (Choral Concentration) and a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Composition). She studied voice under the instruction of Mrs. Valerie Walters-Gold and composition under the instruction of Composer-in-Residence, Dr. Laurence Sherr. During this time, Julie was highly active in Chamber Singers, Jazz Ensembles, Jazz Combos, and Opera Theater. Throughout her undergraduate years, she gave private voice lessons to students with a wide variety of goals and interests, including musical theatre, All-State preparation, and GHP preparation. She also taught piano lessons, composition lessons, and music theory/aural skills, and has continued to do so for nearly a decade.
Julie received her Master of Music in Composition from Georgia Southern University. She studied with composition professor, Dr. Martin Gendelman and was mentored by Dr. Shannon Jeffreys in her teaching profession.
During her time at both universities, Julie received several merit-based music scholarships. In 2011, her piece was chosen for the Kennesaw State University Festival of New Music, in which she was the youngest and only female composer featured in the Student Recital. She was a selected composer again for the 2013 KSUFNM. In 2013, she was the winner of the Kennesaw State Concerto Competition in the area of Composition. Her SATB work, "A Dream Within a Dream," was performed by the Kennesaw State Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Leslie Blackwell in the spring of 2014. In spring of 2016, her brass quintet, "Verfurdo," was selected as Honorable Mention for the Spartanburg Orchestra Call for Scores. She was selected out of 3 composers to visit the campus and give a Roundtable Discussion on her works. She was also selected as a runner up for the 24-Hour Opera Project sponsored by Atlanta Opera. In July of 2016, her piece "Sonnet 116" was selected 1 of 4 out of 90+ submissions to be performed by Vox Nova Chorale in St. Paul, Minnesota during their performance by female composers. In summer of 2017, she was selected as the only Georgia participant out of approximately 30 composers to attend the Charlotte New Music Festival. She was selected as a composer for the CORO Institute for Choral Composers in 2018.
Julie has taken master classes with renowned composers such as David Lang, Chen-Yi, David Garner, Brian Schmidt, Abbie Betinis, and John Allemeier, along with librettist, Michael Dennis Browne. She was involved in a roundtable lunch discussion sponsored by ASO with John Adams and other students and faculty of Kennesaw State University. She has performed title roles at Kennesaw State University in opera, most recently performed as a featured artist during performances by Statesboro High School, and she continues to perform today with her local praise team.
From 2016-2018, Julie served as the high school chorus teacher at Statesboro High School, working extensively with adolescents in vocal performance, as well as piano instruction. With her vast experience and versatility, Julie is a rising artist in many different musical realms.