Dr. Julia Lougheed enjoys a multi-faceted career as a clarinetist, music educator, and arts administrator living in Phoenix, Arizona. She is passionate about bringing people together through music, making art, and solving problems. She fulfills all three of these passions in all her work as a musician.
Dr. Lougheed has been teaching clarinet lessons for the past decade, and always centers students’ individualized goals in her teaching. She seeks to inspire musical and personal independence in her students, giving them the instrumental technique and critical thinking skills to express themselves and find their voices – both on and off the instrument. Dr. Lougheed’s students are successful. Many audition into prestigious university studios, win solo competitions, place into regional and state-level honor bands, and hold coveted leadership positions in their school ensembles. All of Dr. Lougheed’s students perform well, exude great stage presence, and enjoy sharing music with their communities. In addition to her studio at Rosie’s House, Dr. Lougheed is the Instructor of Clarinet at Scottsdale Community College, coaches sectionals for Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Scottsdale Unified School District, and the Paradise Valley Unified School District, and teaches private lessons to students from all over the Phoenix Metro Area.
As a performer, Julia frequently appears as a recital soloist, chamber musician, and improviser in venues across the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, as well as joining local professional orchestras as a substitute musician. She performs a broad spectrum of repertoire, but specializes in contemporary music. She loves working with living composers to create new clarinet music that comments on current events. In the summer of 2023, Julia embarked on a solo tour around the Western United States, performing music for bass clarinet and electronics written specifically for her. Julia is in the final production stages of an album of this music, set to be released in December 2023. Other recent performance accolades include high praise for performance at the inaugural International Clarinet Association Low Clarinet Festival, recognition as a finalist in Black House Collective’s New Music Soloist Competition, participation as a fellow in the selective Ensemble Evolution Residency at The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, appearances at Oh My Ears, Omaha Under the Radar, New Music Gathering, and the Darkwater Women in Music Festivals. In 2024, Julia has performances planned in Virginia, Texas, Mexico City, and Ireland.
As an arts administrator, Julia runs the Oh My Ears New Music Festival in Phoenix, AZ, and works as Event Coordinator at Phoenix College. She is proud to share that her festival is now in its tenth year of operation, and pleased to take part in building the relationship between Rosie’s House and Phoenix College.