Julian Taylor has always been a creative and diverse musician, breaking down the distinctive barriers among different genres of music. He received his training both at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and from the Cleveland Institute of Music, from which he recently received his Masters in Music Performance. Though his training has been largely classical, he also has interests in jazz, fiddle, latin, hip-hop, electronic and many other styles of music. In 2006, he became one of the core members of the eclectic hip-hop band, The Off Button, an elegant fusion of upright bass, banjo, violin, percussion, vocals, and rap artists. Since then, he has also performed with a large number of ensembles and bands, including the Meadows Symphony Orchestra at Southern Methodist University, the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, and numerous chamber music ensembles. Mr. Taylor has also performed with the The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, was the lead violinist in the flamenco group, Nomad, and, most recently, founded the VIOS ensemble – a modern fusion of classical / electronica genres. His current aspirations have been in composition and performance, writing many original pieces and arrangements which contain elements of both classical instrumentation and electronic audio elements.

In addition, he has also been an avid violin instructor and has maintained a private teaching studio for over 7 years. Over the summer of 2010, he was on faculty for the Chamber Music Festival through the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory department and was one of the main directors and instructors at the Coda Music Academy in West Virginia. His extensive knowledge of the instrument and stronger focus on teaching practicing techniques have enabled his students to do very well and even some have gone on to win awards in various competitions and festivals. His plans for the future include pursuing a music career in composition and performance, as well as maintaining an avid teaching studio.

View Julian's teaching biography here.