Widely recognized as one of the leading orchestral harpists of her generation, Julia Coronelli is the principal harpist of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and on faculty at the DePaul University School of Music. Born and raised in the city of Chicago, she began playing the harp at the age of four. Her playing has been described by The New York Times as "precise and shimmering" as well as conveying “beauty without pluck”, and as "exquisite," "exceptional," and “stunning" by The Miami Herald. Previously, she held positions as the principal harpist of the Sarasota Orchestra and the New World Symphony in Miami Beach.

She has performed in the role of principal harpist in many of the world's greatest halls, including Carnegie Hall (New York), Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Musikverein (Vienna), Philharmonie de Paris (Paris), Kölner Philharmonie (Cologne), Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (Rome), Philharmonie Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Teatro di San Carlo (Naples), Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Florence), Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli (Torino), Lugano Arte e Cultura (Lugano, Switzerland), Béla Bartók National Concert Hall (Budapest), Alte Oper (Frankfurt), Philharmonie Essen (Essen), BOZAR (Brussels), Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo), Symphony Hall (Birmingham, U.K.), Oriental Art Center (Shanghai), National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing), National Concert Hall (Taipei), Festival Hall (Osaka), and Orchestra Hall (Chicago).

Coronelli has joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on seven recent tours under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti, including three international tours as guest principal harpist. Additional performance credits include concerts with the New York Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (U.K.), St. Louis Symphony, and San Diego Symphony.

An in-demand musician at summer festivals, she has performed as principal harpist at the Ravinia Music Festival (Illinois), Sun Valley Music Festival (Idaho), Lakes Area Music Festival (Minnesota), Colorado Music Festival (Boulder), Artosphere (Arkansas), Tanglewood Music Festival (Massachusetts), Music Academy of the West (Santa Barbara), and the Aspen Music Festival (Colorado). She was also the principal harpist of the Britt Festival Orchestra (Jacksonville, Oregon) from 2014-2024.

An advocate of new music, she has appeared with such esteemed contemporary ensembles as CSO MusicNow, New Juilliard Ensemble, Axiom, Syzygy New Music, and as part of the Festival of Contemporary Music at the Tanglewood Music Festival. Additionally, she has performed as a solo artist with Music of the Baroque in Chicago, was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and was a prizewinner at the American Harp Society national solo competitions in 2007, 2005, and 2003. A passionate teacher, she was the founding faculty of the harp studio at the Uptown Academy of the People's Music School, an El Sistema music school in Chicago.

She holds a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music degree from Chicago College of Performing Arts. Her primary teachers were Sarah Bullen, former principal harpist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Nancy Allen, principal harpist of the New York Philharmonic.