Julian Armour, MSM (born 29 September 1960 in Missoula, Montana, United States) is a Canadian cellist and artistic director. Armour is married to violist Guylaine Lemaire. He is the son of the philosopher Leslie Armour.
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Shortly after his birth, Armour's parents (both Canadian citizens) moved the family back to Canada.[1] Armour majored in history, economics and English literature at the University of Ottawa. After graduation, he studied at McGill University with Walter Joachim, the distinguished Canadian cellist. He later continued to study with some of the greatest cellists of our time including János Starker, Ralph Kirshbaum, Aldo Parisot and Leonard Rose.
One of Canada's most active cellists, Armour performs throughout Canada, the United States and Europe and is regularly heard on CBC Radio. As a chamber musician, he has appeared in television broadcasts on CBC, CTV, PBS, EWTN, and Vision TV. He has recorded over 30 CDs for labels including Marquis, Crystal, ATMA, CMS Classics, CentreDiscs, SRI, CanSona, Studea Musica and CBC.
He is the founder of the Ottawa Chamber Music Society (OCMS). Until his resignation in March 2007, he was the OCMS' Artistic and Executive Director. Under his directorship, the OCMS's main event, the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, grew to become the world's largest chamber music festival. From 2003 to 2009, Armour was the president of the Ottawa Festival Network.
In 2000 Armour received the Victor Tolgesy Arts Award from the Council for the Arts in Ottawa. It recognizes those who contribute to the city's cultural enrichment. In 1999, he was awarded the Community Foundation's Investing in People Award, in recognition of his efforts to bring classical music to new audiences. For his contributions to music, Armour was named a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in December 2002 by the Government of France. Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada awarded Armour the Meritorious Service Medal in 2003.
He is currently the Artistic Director of the Chamber Players of Canada, Chamber Music Programmer for Galaxie (CBC Radio's continuous music channel), and Principal Cellist of the chamber orchestra, Thirteen Strings. [2] For two years Armour taught cello masterclasses at the Orford Arts Centre. He regularly teaches at the University of Ottawa, offering courses in both music performance and arts administration.
In 2010 Armour became Artistic and Executive Director of the festival, Music and Beyond. [3] The "second great festival" [4][5] Armour has founded, Music and Beyond presents classical music in all its forms: orchestras, choirs, bands, baroque groups and small ensembles. In special concerts it features performances that embrace music's relationships with dance, poetry, food, wine, science and visual art.