Julia Buckingham: 1999

Pianist Julia Buckingham has come full circle from representing APME as our 1999 Porter Scholar to currently serving as APME’s Scholarship Advisor.

Julia has performed a wide variety of styles on concert series and festival programs across the United States.  A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Miss Buckingham credits her accomplishments to a delicate mixture of hard work, dedication, and natural ability.  Noted for her perfect pitch and defined by her love of music, Julia Buckingham has been called a music prodigy since her first instructor recognized her talents at the age of four. 

Julia Buckingham began making professional appearances at the age of eight.  By age eleven, Miss Buckingham not only began accompanying the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Vesper Choir’s yearly performances of G.F. Handel’s “Messiah,” but also received a coveted invitation to perform for an instrumental recital in New York City.  She presented her first solo recital at age twelve and showcased her talent on several local television programs throughout her teenage years.  At seventeen, Julia Buckingham was selected to attend the Arkansas Governor’s School where she became the first Governor’s School student to perform the piano solo to George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue.” 

Among her numerous accomplishments, Miss Buckingham is the recipient of numerous music awards including the Bing Cunningham Award, the William Gant Award, and a Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society Scholarship.  In 1999, Julia Buckingham won a nationwide talent search and was asked to perform at the National Delta Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.  She earned top honors in the University of Arkansas’ concerto/aria competition in the year 2000, and was invited to participate in two of the University of Arkansas’ music department’s Honor Recitals, “The Best of the Best.”  She also composed and performed a jazz selection at a Northwest Arkansas Student Composer’s Showcase in 2003. 

Apart from the myriad of awards and honors that have been earned and bestowed upon Julia, Miss Buckingham feels most honored to be able to pass on her love for music and performance to children and young adults.  She sincerely hopes to impress upon young minds the beauty of music.  Julia is currently pursuing a Masters in Music Theory degree at the University of Central Arkansas, where she also teaches piano and serves as a graduate theory teaching assistant.