Widely regarded as one of the most creative musicians of his generation, British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber has achieved worldwide success as a performer and composer.
Born in London on April 14th 1951, Julian was surrounded by a household of musical talent. As son of composer William Lloyd Webber and brother of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, Julian went on to become a scholar at the Royal Academy of Music, before spending time in Geneva with Pierre Fournier to complete his studies.
Returning to London, Julian made his concert debut in 1972, where he performed the Cello Concerto of Arthur Bliss.
This piece became one of 50 premiere works for cello that Julian went on to record, many of which had been written for him. Over the years he has inspired new compositions for cello from composers as diverse as Malcolm Arnold to Philip Glass.
He has collaborated with an extraordinary array of artists including Yehudi Menuhin, Stephane Grappelli and Elton John.
Julian’s recent recordings include Phantasia, based on his brother’s West End hit The Phantom of the Opera, featuring violinist Sarah Chang and Unexpected Songs. Released in June 2006, this most recent recording features artists such as Michael Ball and John Lineman, and songs from an assortment of composers including Schubert and Nitin Sawhney.
Julian Lloyd Webber has also had an active involvement in music education, forming the Music Education Consortium in 2004 with James Galway and Evelyn Glennie.
He was sadly forced into early retirement as a cello player, following the discovery of a problem with his bowing arm during a performance in October 2013. Following his final concert in 2014, Lloyd Webber now dedicates more time to his work in the field of music education.
