Julius Akira Mauldin is a Japanese-American conductor, currently based in Manchester, UK. He is the Artistic Director of the Westside Chamber Players, a chamber orchestra in New York City committed to giving free performances of classical music. He co-founded the ensemble in the fall 2022 with Adeline Baban. In the UK, Julius works with the BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as an Assistant Conductor, assisting John Storgårds, Domingo Hindoyan, Andrew Manze, Adam Hickox, Elena Schwarz, Anja Bihlmaier, Lidiya Yankovskaya, Ben Gernon and Geoffrey Paterson. Julius has also conducted the Hallé and the Manchester Camerata, as well as assisting Dinis Sousa and the Royal Northern Sinfonia at the BBC Proms. Before moving to Manchester, he was a Julius Rudel Fellow with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, assisting JoAnn Falletta throughout the season and making his debut with the orchestra in summer 2024. Julius began his musical career as a boy chorister, performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra under the batons of Yannick Nézét-Seguin, Charles Dutoit, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, and Jacques Lacombe. He was also the featured soloist in a Lincoln Center production of Wozzeck with London’s Philharmonia orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Julius has participated in masterclasses taught by conductors such as Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Eva Ollikainen, Gustavo Gimeno, Dinis Sousa, and Nuno Coelho. He is currently pursuing his Masters Degree at the Royal Northern College of Music with Mark Heron and Clark Rundell, while also receiving guidance from visiting conductors such as Nicolas Pasquet, John Storgårds, Ludovic Morlot, Anja Bihlmaier, Antony Hermus, and David Hill.