Julien Touafek
Student, New York Youth Symphony
Composer/vocalist/violinist/writer Julien Touafek fuses diverse musical and artistic aesthetics with a 21st century sense of entrepreneurship to communicate, innovate, and inspire creativity as a means to success.
He has composed pieces mostly recently for Juilliard’s PUFF! Wind Quintet, Harpist Bridget Kibbey, New York Youth Symphony’s Jazz Band Classic and Chamber Orchestra, the Indaco Quartet, Violinist Alexey Shabalin, and Soprano Janani Sridhar. He was a fellow with the Composition Program of New York Youth Symphony for two seasons from 2011-2013. He is a member of the highSCORE New Music Center (Pavia, Italy) and has studied at the European American Music Alliance in Paris, France. His music has been performed in venues including: the Tank, the Wild Project, Symphony Space, Manhattan School of Music, Stony Brook University, and the highSCORE New Music Festival.
He is a member of the TONY-honored BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and has written numerous works for the stage, in addition to those for solo voice. His musical, Land of the Setting Sun, received a staged reading in New York City at the Between the Seas Festival in August 2011.
Julien is also the Founder of Providence Premieres, the only new music initiative located in Providence, RI dedicated to premiering the music of young composers. As Artistic and Producing Director Julien launched the first 2012-13 Season with a concert of all new works premiered by members of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. The 2013-14 Season will include the commissioning new works in addition to the launch of a year-long Composition Program for high school students; the first program of its kind in Rhode Island.
In addition to writing and performing, Julien consults on creative strategies for individuals, businesses and non-profits; including self-promotion for artists, website/logo design, rebranding and innovating.
Other festivals include: Oberlin Conservatory’s “Oberlin in Italy” Emerging Artist Opera program, workshop participant in the Southampton Writers Conference, New England Conservatory’s Festival Youth Orchestra, and a tour of Ireland’s Cathedrals with the Archdiocese of Boston. Julien graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Music where he studied with Peter Winkler, Sheila Silver, Lewis Wong and Randall Scarlata. He is a member of the American Composers Forum and The Dramatist Guild of America.
Songs by Julien: listen here
Chamber Orchestra piece with the New York Youth Symphony: listen here
