Described as a “phenomenal sax soloist” (Chicago Tribune) with a “penchant for performance…and impressive agility, control, and stylistic ability” (Chicago Classical Review) Julian Velasco is a Chicago-based Mexican-American artist, educator, and advocate for contemporary arts. Raised in the diverse musical culture of Los Angeles, his own musical background draws from classical, jazz, experimental, and popular styles whose influences inform his approach to all music.
Known as “both an infectiously joyous interpreter of new music and a monster improviser” (Chicago Tribune), Velasco has premiered over 160 new works, commissioning and collaborating with a wide range of artists including the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Chris Cerrone, Mei-Ann Chen, Viet Cuong, Rhiannon Giddens, Reginald Mobley, Jessie Montgomery, Nico Muhly, Alex Mincek, Shawn Okpebholo, PRISM Quartet, Jeff Scott, and Augusta Read Thomas.
His first solo album As We Are (released on Cedille Records) garnered national attention by debuting at #4 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical Album Charts and was regarded as, “an exciting album of contemporary music for the saxophone performed with passion and precision”, (The Whole Note), “fabulous” (Third Coast Review), and “gorgeous… raucous… lovely…. what a way for a young saxophonist to break into the big time.” (Gramophone). His music can be heard on New Amsterdam, Cedille, New Focus, Carrier, Bright Shiny Things, Sawyer Editions, and Records to Burn labels.
Velasco is the Artistic Director and soprano saxophonist of ~Nois saxophone quartet. Founded in 2016, the Chicago-based ensemble is dedicated to championing new music for saxophone and building community through innovative, inclusive, and exceptional musical experiences. Equal parts “fiendishly good and fiendishly goofy” (Chicago Tribune), ~Nois is a “prolific, charismatic young ensemble that is swiftly becoming the American saxophone quartet du jour” (Musical America). Winners of the 2026 CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Prize, their 200+ performances have spanned 28 states, including invitations to perform at some of the top festivals, concert series, and academic institutions in the nation.
Velasco was presented in his orchestral debut at age 17 as a soloist with the South Coast Symphony. In the 2021/22 season, he presented the world premiere of James Aikman’s saxophone quartet concerto “Alarm!” along with PRISM Quartet and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. In the 2022/23 season, his Symphony Center concerto-debut was met with critical acclaim. Performing Roberto Sierra’s Concerto for Saxophones with Mei-Ann Chen and the Chicago Sinfonietta, he demonstrated a “pinpoint accuracy… crystalline high notes and long arching phrases” (Chicago Classical Review), “conjuring distinct timbres on a dime — burly passages evaporated into wispy harmonics and arpeggios flowed with the liquid ease of a bowed instrument. Stylistic pirouettes seemed just as effortless” (Chicago Tribune).
As a member of the orchestral world, Velasco has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton Marin Alsop and Riccardo Muti. Around Chicago he has joined orchestras including Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Elgin Symphony Orchestra.
Cedille Record’s first ever emerging artist and a Luminarts Cultural Foundation Fellow in Classical Music, Velasco holds degrees from Northwestern University and Michigan State University. His teachers include James Barrera, Diego Rivera, Joseph Lulloff, and Taimur Sullivan. Velasco is a Yamaha Artist and performs on Yamaha instruments exclusively. He is an Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the Cleveland Institute of Music and is one of the co-founders of the saxophone program.