Violinist, Festival Director, Creative Performance Coach

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A staunch advocate for creativity within New Zealand’s Arts community, Justine actively supports and promotes creative communities both internationally and closer to home. A highly sought-after freelance violinist, Justine collaborates broadly as a soloist, chamber musician and guest concertmaster.

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As Festival Director, Justine launched At the World’s Edge Festival (AWE) with fellow London-based violinist Benjamin Baker in 2021. Each year, AWE sees the two violinists perform with chamber musicians they bring together from around the globe for their spring festival set within the stunning landscapes of the Southern Lakes region of New Zealand.

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Through her creative performance coaching business ListenFeelPlay, Justine supports musicians worldwide, encouraging them to maximise their performance success and optimise their musical enjoyment through insightful mind and body awareness.

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From 2002 to mid-2017, as a founding member and violinist of NZTrio, Justine performed throughout New Zealand, Australia, Asia, South America, the USA, Europe and Scandinavia. During this time, the group’s commitment and passion for promoting New Zealand music saw the commissioning and performing of close to 40 works from New Zealand composers, proudly showcasing these compositions within the trio’s diverse programmes on the national and global stage. While with the trio, they were honoured with a KBB Music/CANZ citation in 2012 and the Lilburn Trust Citation in 2017 for outstanding services to New Zealand Music.

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An active recording artist, Justine has released duo recordings with pianists Michael Houstoun and Sarah Watkins, in addition to a varied catalogue of award-winning releases with NZTrio. Their collaborative ‘classical-meets-jazz’ album, Vicissitudes with the Mike Nock Trio, was a finalist for Best Jazz Album in the 2017 Jazz Awards and their CD Sway won the ‘Classical Artist of the Year’ award in the 2017 Vodafone Music Awards.

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Other career highlights include her role as concertmaster with the Auckland Philharmonia from 2000-2004, and a lecturer in violin at The University of Auckland following the completion of her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Stony Brook University, NY, in 2001.

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Justine plays an 1868 J.B.Vuillaume violin.