Shortlisted for a Gramophone Award, Julian Perkins is one of today’s most visionary and dynamic conductor-keyboardists. His artistic philosophy of “Historically Inspired Performance” marries expressive virtuosity with rigorous scholarship to bring music vividly to life. This approach shapes not only his leadership as Artistic Director of Portland Baroque Orchestra, Cambridge Handel Opera and Sounds Baroque, but also his international career as conductor, chamber musician and soloist.
Renowned for his "demonic intensity" (BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month), "fluid and natural pacing" (Gramophone Editor's Choice) and "verve and suavity" (Classical Music), Julian conducts "as if every bar means the world to him" (Opera Disc of the Month) and delivers "performances that reach to the heart of the music" (International Record Review). A prolific recording artist, he is one of the select few to have earned Gramophone's Critics' Choice twice in the same year.
Challenging convention, Julian is re-inventing lost eighteenth-century traditions. His innovative opera pasticcios, co-created with librettist Stephen Pettitt, have garnered acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Cambridge Handel Opera’s recent award-winning production of Handel’s Imeneo revitalized this little-known opera by restoring the eighteenth-century practice of dual-language performance, while his ongoing partnership with Concert Theatre Works sees him direct groundbreaking performances of Bach’s reconstructed Markus Passion.
A leading force in interdisciplinary collaboration, Julian conducts both prominent period instrument ensembles and modern orchestras. His wide-ranging engagements include performances with the Academy of Ancient Music, Croatian Baroque Ensemble, Deutsche Händel-Solisten, Juilliard415, New London Singers, Spiritato, Tesserae Baroque, Charlotte Symphony & Master Chorale, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Sinfonia Smith Square and St Paul's Sinfonia. As soloist, he has appeared with the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Florilegium, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Orchestra of the Sixteen and Royal Northern Sinfonia, among others. Passionate about singing, he has directed acclaimed performances with artists such as Ian Bostridge, Helen Charlston, Anna Dennis, Rebecca Evans, James Gilchrist, Benjamin Hulett, Dame Emma Kirkby, Mark Padmore, Christopher Purves, Carolyn Sampson and Lawrence Zazzo. Equally passionate about teaching, he has led masterclasses and performance projects at institutions including The Juilliard School, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Royal College of Music, National Opera Studio, the Conservatories of Amsterdam, The Hague and Venice and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Julian also champions the clavichord — reputedly Bach’s favourite keyboard instrument — and holds a unique distinction: his solo album Handel's Attick is the only clavichord recording ever named Instrumental Choice by BBC Music Magazine. A regular presence at international festivals (e.g. Edinburgh, London, Munich, Oregon and Salzburg), he has also featured in over twenty “firsts” by giving clavichord recitals and, with Terence Charlston, has forged new soundscapes by co-commissioning contemporary works for two clavichords.
Educated at the University of Cambridge, Royal Academy of Music and Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Julian draws inspiration from a wide range of sources. He maintains ongoing dialogues with leading scholars and has collaborated closely with many eminent conductors such as Ivor Bolton, Harry Christophers, Christopher Hogwood, Vladimir Jurowski, Paul McCreesh and Trevor Pinnock. Notably versatile, he sang in the Monteverdi Choir, played violin under Sir Colin Davis, performed recorder concertos and studied drama with Sir Rufus Norris. Julian currently practices Reformer Pilates and is privileged to hold dual British-Italian citizenship.
