Justin Saulnier is a 20-year-old violinist from Orléans, Ontario. He made his orchestral solo debut at age 12 with the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra and has since performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Métropolitain, Canada’s National Arts Center Orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, the McGill Symphony Orchestra, the Pembroke Symphony Orchestra and the Sinfonia de Montréal, having worked with prominent conductors including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Tomas Netopil and Alexis Hauser. Justin has received many awards, notably the first prize in the Eckhardt-Gramatté, in the Golden Violin and in the NACO Bursary competitions, second prize in the Concours OSM, the grand prize in the Orchestre Métropolitain OMNI Competition, the Concours et Festival de Lanaudière, the Nicole Sénécal Prize, and the McGill Concerto Competition. He was also a finalist at the London Classic Violin Competition. Justin has also enjoyed being concertmaster in the Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra, and the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra, among others. He is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree with full scholarship at McGill University with Andrew Wan.

Justin plays on a 1680 Ruggeri from Cremona, and a Louis Gillet bow, generously loaned to him by the company Canimex Inc. from Drummondville.