• ''Perkins directs from the harpsichord with a demonic intensity''

    BBC Music Magazine

  • ''Julian Perkins gets a fizzing performance out of the Academy of Ancient Music'' 

    Financial Times 

  • "…heartening dramatic energy under Julian Perkins’s assured direction"

    Gramophone

  • ''The hero of the performance is undoubtably Julian Perkins, who conducts as if every bar means the world to him, pacing the work with assurance and drawing splendid playing from the strings of the Academy of Ancient Music … All the major roles are outstandingly taken.''

    Opera 

  • ''Impeccably stylish conducting''

    The Stage

  • ''The Indiana Jones of early music''

    BBC Radio 3

  • ''The young cast – hand-picked by Perkins, who led the medium-sized orchestra from the harpsichord with verve and suavity – could scarcely have been bettered. ...such a direct, powerful production.''

    Classical Music and Opera Now

  • ''...Perkins's dynamic direction of the single strings and theorbo ensemble combined to stylish and sincere effect.''

    The Independent

  • "Musically and dramatically, the evening was a triumph. Julian Perkins conducted with energy and a continuous sense of rightness."

    MusicWeb International

  • “Perkins’ superb keyboard artistry and deft conducting ... guided the Portland Baroque Orchestra with terrific emotional clarity ... as fresh as ever''

    Oregon ArtsWatch 

  • "I have seldom seen singers and players enjoying themselves quite as much as in this performance… Julian Perkins’s clear direction must have been a delight to follow."

    Early Music Review

  • "...the opera is directed by Julian Perkins with verve and wit."

    Early Music Today

  • "Conductor Julian Perkins gave impressively clear directions to both choir and orchestra..."

    Early Music Reviews

  • ''...the orchestra claimed our full attention with a precise and idiomatic overture, full of joyful energy under the direction of Julian Perkins.''

    The Arts Desk

  • ''With Julian Perkins at the helm, it is plain sailing''

    The Critic

  • ''Directing from the harpsichord, Julian Perkins' pacing and dynamic control brought out all the tension and passion of Handel’s writing. The whole evening was a triumphant vindication of Handel the musical dramatist.''

    Lark Reviews

  • "Perkins and his forces give a delightfully involving and stylish performance which is more than recommendable on its own terms."

    Planet Hugill

  • ''...extremely well driven by Spiritato!'s conductor, Julian Perkins.''

    Church Times

  • ''Julian Perkins' playing is exemplary. It is subtle, often exciting, nuanced and perfectly balanced.''

    MusicWeb International

  • "...effortless virtuosity... Julian Perkins gives performances that reach to the heart of the music."

    International Record Review

  • "...a leader in the new generation of keyboard virtuosi"

    Cambridge Early Music

  • "...a marvel of style"

    The Dominion Post

  • "...yet more marvellous improvised invention from Julian Perkins on harpsichord"

    Dame Emma Kirkby

  • "...exuberantly stylish"

    Sunday Times

  • ''...brilliant and fresh''

    American Record Guide

  • ''Perkins plays with just the right dash of theatricality...''

    Sinfini Music

  • ''...music making of the highest order, rewarding the attentive listener at every level of detail.''

    Boston Clavichord Society, USA

  • ''The cascades that Julian Perkins despatched from the keyboard with transfixing intensity in the Fifth [Brandenburg] concerto were a particular highlight...''

    The York Press

  • ''...his performance of this technically extremely demanding solo was one of the highlights of the whole evening, along with Bojan Čičić’s violin virtuosity in Brandenburg 4.''

    Early Music Reviews

  • ''Julian Perkins tackles the 32 miniatures with panache and empathy to spare''

    BBC Music Magazine

  • ''The lyricism of the playing is counterbalanced by playing of extraordinary zest and vibrancy''

    Finzi Journal

  • ''Julian Perkins despatched Arne’s G minor Harpsichord Concerto with great aplomb, neatly accommodating the many instances of crossed-hands, while also incorporating much tasteful ornamentation along the way.''

    Seen and Heard International 

  • "…superbly creative accompaniment from Julian Perkins"

    New Statesman

  • ''A wonderfully adept and stylish continuo from Julian Perkins gave the recits real depth, pace and meaning – and the singers’ coaching in this was really exemplary...''

    The Critics' Circle

  • ''...the contributions of Christian Elliott on principal cello and Julian Perkins on harpsichord were outstanding, playing with genuine feeling that brought out the underlying humanity in the score, not to mention the evident genius of Handel's writing.''

    Opera Journal


  • Julian reflects on directing Eccles’s Semele with the Academy of Ancient Music and Cambridge Handel Opera. The disc was shortlisted for the Gramophone Award and was named Recording of the Month in BBC Music Magazine, Disc of the Month in Opera, Record of the Week on BBC Radio 3 and Editor's Choice in Gramophone. 


  • A wide-ranging conversation with Julian: how he learned to improvise in Switzerland, how he works with singers, his thoughts on free reinterpretations of classic masterpieces, and more.


  • Musical pies, Handel’s hearty appetite and inventive programming... Julian looks ahead to his first season as Artistic Director of the Portland Baroque Orchestra in Oregon, USA. 


  • Does playing on a historical instrument automatically make for a stylish performance? How does tuning relate to astrology? And how does this relate to Caffè Nocciola?! Find out Julian's thoughts in this lively discussion with violinist Casey Bozell. 


  • What has make-up got to do with vibrato? Find out here in Julian's discussion with David Smith following the release of Handel's Attick, his latest solo clavichord recording.


  • Following his acclaimed recording of Eccles’s Semele, Julian compares this setting of Congreve’s libretto with Handel’s, premièred some forty years later in 1744.


  • Julian talks about his broad musical interests and his friendship with Stephen Dodgson which led him to conduct Dodgson’s opera Margaret Catchpole for Naxos.


  • Julian talks about his approach to clavichord technique, his experiences commissioning an instrument and what it meant to perform Bach’s 48 Preludes and Fugues online during lockdown.


  • What goes into staging an opera production? Julian talks to Alex Fice prior to the production of Handel’s Tamerlano, mounted by Cambridge Handel Opera.


  • A trip down memory lane for BBC Radio Cambridgeshire with Thordis Fridriksson, including discussion of the pivotal role that singing plays in Julian’s musical life.


  • A chat about Julian’s varied operatic exploits including Eccles’s Semele and his plans for staging Handel’s Tamerlano with Cambridge Handel Opera, his recording projects and keeping a positive mindset over lockdown.


  • Julian talks about his varied musical experiences following Cambridge Handel Opera’s first staged production in 2018 – and somehow mentions Roger Federer!


  • The Finzi Trust funded Julian’s organ pilgrimage to the Netherlands and Sweden. He discusses how important it is for all players of early keyboard instruments to experience historical organs at first hand, even recalling an instrument in Göteborg with a flexible wind supply.


  • Ingenious Jestings, Julian’s first solo harpsichord disc, features the world première of virtuosic harpsichord suites by James Nares. Julian recalls his experiences recording music inspired by Domenico Scarlatti on the Royal harpsichord at Kew Palace.