Julia Williams is a versatile, talented and very busy accordionist. She is approachable and always willing to share her ideas and experiences. Julia has 25+ years experience performing solo and with groups in a wide gamut of styles. She has performed with the Omaha Chamber Music Society, Sioux City Symphony, Omaha Symphony, and the Kenny Janak Orchestra. She also played music and acted in several live theater productions.

Williams studied music performance at the University of Missouri Kansas City (B.M.) and Music Literature/Musicology at the University of Colorado Boulder (M.M.) with additional graduate study in ethnomusicology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a young player she won numerous competition honors including the US national championship for the Accordionists & Teachers Guild, International (ATG). She has degrees in music performance and musicology. Julia plays and teaches piano accordion and chromatic button accordion. Originally from Minnesota, she currently resides in Lincoln, Nebraska and teaches accordion at Blue Raven Music Studio.

In Spring 2024 Accordionist Julia Williams performed with the Omaha Symphony, the Sioux City Symphony, the Kenny Janak Orchestra, and other musical groups. In 2018 with the Omaha Chamber Music Society, she performed the North American premiere of ‘Neotango Concerto’ by contemporary Basque composer Gorka Hermosa. Also in 2018 she was a soloist with the Western Kentucky University Symphony for the concert ‘Orchestra Exotica’ featuring music for accordion and orchestra by Alan Hovhaness, Gorka Hermosa, and Dmitri Shostakovich. I

In 2021 she was a guest chamber player with the UC San Diego Graduate Contemporary Music program. Her theater experience includes actor-musician roles in productions of “A Three-Penny Opera”, “A Doctor in Spite of Himself”, “The Government Inspector”, “Cabaret”, and “Morozko”. Most recently she appeared in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” at Bluebarn Theatre in Omaha, and “Indecen” t at American Stage Theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Julia said, ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ (October 2022 at the Bluebarn Theatre in Omaha) was awarded an Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award for Best Sound Design by Olga Smola. Smola is the violinist/composer with whom I performed in that show. This was the second play premiere that I’ve done with Smola and our brilliant director/playwright Jill Anderson. The first was ‘Morozko’ in 2019. Our work in ‘Sleepy Hollow’ was fascinating because the entire soundscape was performed live without pre-recorded sound effects. It was a real treat to have that work recognized by the OEA Awards.

In September and October of 2023 I was in Saint Petersburg, Florida as a member of the cast of ‘Indecent’ at American Stage Theatre. It was a tremendous experience working with such a great group of professionals there. Co-composer Lisa Gutkin, who plays with The Klezmatics and was the violinist in the Tony-Award winning Broadway production, came to see a couple of our performances. I had a wonderful time doing ‘Indecent’ and meeting the composer.”

Indecent reviews: “Just as important to the production are the three onstage and all-over-the-stage musicians, Samuel Perlman on clarinet, Melody Allegra Berger on violin and mandolin, and Julia Williams on the accordion. (If any of you don’t think accordions are cool, then watching Ms. Williams will surely change your mind.) Music Director Matt Deitchman has done an amazing job guiding these musicians as well as the casts’ superb vocals.” – Broadway World

2023 Omaha Symphony concerts were: “Beauty and the Beast” original animated film with live score and “Concert of Lights” with guest conductor Francesco Lotoro.

2024 Omaha Chamber Music Society concert: “Tango Romantico” at the Kaneko art museum featuring works by various composers (including a return performance of Gorka Hermosa’s ‘Anantango’ which we first brought to the OCMS audience in 2018).

Kenny Janak Orchestra – Czech style polka 7-piece band: Released their first album recording ‘Bohemian Dream’ in April 2023. CDs can be ordered through Kenny Janak, Spotify and other streaming platforms.

Upcoming 2024 performances include:
June 5: solo at European Motorcycle Night in the Haymarket, Lincoln, Nebraska
June 19: with Kenny Janak Orchestra at Gene Leahy Mall on the Riverfront, Omaha, Nebraska
August 25: with Kenny Janak Orchestra at the Stuhr Museum, Grand Island, Nebraska

Julia’s enthusiasm for the accordion is apparent to anyone who meets her. Catch her in a performance very soon!

For further information: juliawilliams0789@gmail.com