The 2008/09 season was an exciting one for Ehnes, especially in Europe where he mad débuts with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande playing the Brahms Double Concerto with Truls Mork, the Gürzenich Orchester, the Bayerisches Staatsorchester and the Gothenburg Symphony. During the season he also returned to the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra as well as many other UK orchestras such as BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The season began with a major tour of Australia and he returned there later in the autumn to appear with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He also appeared once again with the New York Philharmonic and the Toronto, Montreal and Detroit symphony orchestras.

As a chamber musician, Ehnes has collaborated with Andsnes, Lortie, Vogler and Yo-Yo Ma. Ehnes is the Associate Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society.

As an extensive recording artist, Ehnes’s most recent release is a critically acclaimed live recording of the Elgar Concerto with Sir Andrew Davis and the Philharmonia Orchestra. His recording of the Korngold, Barber and Walton Violin Concertos with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under Bramwell Tovey won a 2008 Grammy Award for best Instrumental Soloist Performance.

Ehnes began violin studies at the age of four, became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin aged nine, made his orchestral debut with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal aged 13, and graduated from The Juilliard School in 1997, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music.

James Ehnes plays the 'Ex Marsick' Stradivarius of 1715 and gratefully acknowledges its extended loan from the Fulton Collection.