Julia Rohan: Bio

BIO

Raised in Toronto, Julia began playing guitar and writing songs at the age of 11 after hearing a Peter, Paul and Mary record. She had her first recording experience at the CBC studios at the age of 12 with an original composition.

In her last year of high school, she was selected to join an Ontario government-sponsored musical group that entertained in small communities all over the province, with performances at the National Arts Centre, Ontario Place and the Canadian National Exhibition. At the end of that summer, she packed her backpack and guitar and went to Europe where she ended up living with a French family in Paris for six months, then travelling for a few more.

In the 70s and 80s Julia continued to perform her songs in coffee houses and at festivals in Toronto and Guelph, where she attended university. She became a member of both a country-rock band (Studebaker Hawk and the Big Orange) and a blues band (Lucky Dog). She was a guest on Global TVs "News at Noon" and had poems published in the Canadian Literary Review. In the late 80s she formed her own band called the Passionatics, performing in bars in Toronto.

Since moving to Quebec in 1990, Julia has continued to perform and to hone her skills as a songwriter. In 1998 she graduated from Concordia University with an Honours English Literature degree (with Distinction).

In 2002, a story she submitted to the CBC-QWF Short Story contest entitled "Sensible Shoes" was selected as runner-up and published in the collection entitled Telling Stories by Véhicule Press. In 2004, her short story "Boy Wonder" was published in the anthology Taproot III by the Eastern Townships Townshipper's Association.

In the fall of 2004, Julia fulfilled a life-long dream and began taking cello lessons with Brigham-area teacher Sonia LaRivière. She now plays in the cello section of the Sutton all-ages orchestra Les cordes à vent, with concerts in June and December.

Julia is currently at work on a trilogy of young adult fantasy-adventure books called the Weaverworld Series. She and her husband Ted, along with their dog Whimsey and cat Twister, split their time between Montreal and a little house in the woods of the Eastern Townships where Julia has her art studio. Her son Ryan currently lives in Montreal.

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