As a Mexican American flutist from San Diego, Dr. Julia Barnett champions Mexican and Latin American classical music through performance, research, & her upcoming debut album, A celebration of contemporary Mexican flute music to be released on Urtext Digital Classics. She supports living composers through commissions, including Bichito, by Diana Syrse, for piccolo and piano, in addition to organizing or participating in consortiums from such composers as Daniel Dorff, Elizabeth Brown, Samuel Zyman, & more. As an orchestral performer, she was a member of the West Texas & Billings Symphonies for 8 years, as well as joining the Hawaii Symphony as Second Flute/Associate Principal Flute for the 2024–2025 season. Her love of chamber music is reflected in the newly formed Pan American Duo with cellist Kathleen Long, as well as collaboration with Dr. Alina Windell as a part of Duo Flautas Frescas.

Education is also central to her work, as she maintains a private studio in San Diego, as well as directs the Avanti Flute Choir, an adult amateur ensemble that performs throughout the year at churches, libraries, & most recently, the NFA Convention. Dr. Barnett completed her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in flute performance at UCLA, with Sheridon Stokes. For her Master of Music, Dr. Barnett studied with Christina Jennings at the University of Colorado at Boulder and attended Rice University for her Bachelor's Degree under the tutelage of Leone Buyse.