From Uniondale, New York, first-generation Filipino-American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and writer Jay Julio (b. 1997) splits time between NYC, Philadelphia, and on tour. Jay serves as Assistant Principal Violist of the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra and as a substitute musician for the New York City Ballet, the Philadelphia Ballet, the American Composers Orchestra, and on Broadway, including over 300 performances on tour with Hamilton. Solo appearances include concertos with the Ocala Symphony, the Marquette Symphony, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, as well as recitals on the Dame Myra Hess Concert series, at the Free Library of Philadelphia, and at the University of the Philippines’ Abelardo Hall. Jay has recorded for Parma, Nonesuch, and Broadway Records, including releases nominated for 2025 and 2026 Grammy Awards, and they have been heard on radio and TV across the US, Australia, and Europe both as musician and advocate, from appearances on nationally syndicated Performance Today with pianist Josh Tatsuo Cullen to interviews on major media affiliates on Asian-American issues. They are a 2025 recipient of an Interdisciplinary New York State Council for the Arts grant and a 2025 YoungArts Alumni Microgrant to support the development of their original musical/literary/visual work america is in the heart, and served as a Tell Your Story fellow at the 2026 Spoleto Music Festival; in 2026, they were also named the recipient of the 2026 Charles McDaniel Youth Award from the American Federation of Musicians for their work towards equity in the industry.

A prizewinner in competitions held by the Music Teachers National Association, the National Federation of Music Clubs, and the YoungArts Foundation, Jay is indebted to the Virtu Foundation and the American Viola Society for past support in the form of instrument and bow loans during their studies. They are an alumnus of the Music Academy of the West, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and the Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, with other festival appearances at Aspen (New Horizons Fellow), Pacific, Spoleto, Lucerne, and Cabrillo. As educator, Jay has served as a Teaching Fellow at the Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program, on faculty at the Stony Brook University Chamber Strings Camp, and as substitute viola & chamber music faculty at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division. They have been invited to serve on grant panels for the New York State Council for the Arts, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and the MAP Fund.

After starting formal musical training at 14, Jay graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy, received a BM from the Manhattan School of Music at 20 and a MM from the Juilliard School as a full-tuition Susan W. Rose Fellow, studying with Renee Skerik, Karen Ritscher, Heidi Castleman, Misha Amory, and Matthew Lipman. Other important mentors include Leilehua Lanzilotti, Todd Low, and Saskia Hamilton. Away from the instrument, Jay is an award-winning poet; their work can be found in the Cincinnati Review, the Mississippi Review, and elsewhere.