Jamie Desautels

Jamie Desautels is the Founder and Music Director of Austin Pops, “the great orchestra” (flanfire.com). Jamie was born in Calgary, Canada and began violin studies at age 5. He has performed extensively in a wide range of idioms including live performances on five continents, feature film scores, Broadway productions, commercial DVD and CD recordings worldwide, international and domestic TV and radio and orchestral arrangements for world-renowned pop artists.

Jamie has appeared on Austin City Limits multiple times and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, London's Royal Festival Hall, and on the largest outdoor stage in the world (Japan's Aspecta Stage). Jamie has worked with Arcade Fire, Austin Lyric Opera, Austin Symphony, Breckenridge Music Institute, Garth Brooks, David Byrne (this collaboration has included composing arrangements, recording, and multiple World Tours with performances on television including Bob Costas, Jools Holland, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien and Peter Gabriel's Womad Festival in Greece and the U.K.), Catalina Chamber Orchestra as Concertmaster, Natalie Cole, Sheena Easton, Irving Symphony, Ray LaMontagne, Rejane Magloire of Technotronic, Don McLean, Abra Moore, Willie Nelson, Jeffrey Osborne, Luciano Pavarotti, Ray Price, San Antonio Symphony, Frank Sinatra Jr., The Temptations and Tucson Symphony.

Jamie can be heard as Solo Violinist in the Hollywood film “Badland.” He appears on commercial recordings with Audium/Koch, Blue Rock, Disney, Microsoft, Nonesuch/Warner, Virgin Classics and Vitamin. Jamie was awarded First Prize at The Grand North American Fiddle Championship and a Russian Performing Arts Prize for his classical violin work. He is the Producer of String Quartet Recordings featuring music of Interpol, Arcade Fire and Pearl Jam. He is a composer and publisher member (Jamie D Music) of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) of the United States and Canada Local 433.

Maestro Desautels' conducting has been described as “brilliant” (John Mills), his musicianship as “outstanding artistry” and his performance on violin as “intensely beautiful”, “breathtaking interpretations” (interpolnyc.com) and “expressive and sensitive playing” (American String Teacher Magazine).

Jamie holds a Performance Diploma (Mount Royal College Conservatory), a Bachelor of Music degree, With Distinction (University of Calgary), a Master of Music degree (University of Arizona), and has completed all coursework for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree (University of Texas at Austin). Jamie has been named “Upstanding Alumnus” by The University of Calgary.