JULIEN LIBEER

'The most wonderful thing of all is that Libeer possesses the wonderment of a child: no studied effects, no mannerisms, just an interpretation as fresh as dawn.'

While consciously avoiding competitions, Julien has nevertheless won many prizes and accolades (including the Juventus award for most promising young European soloist in 2008), and Young Musician of the Year as voted by the Belgian Music Press Association in 2010. His work was the subject of a TV documentary Technique Doesn't Exist (2013) now available on YouTube, but you can also enjoy it on well-reviewed recordings. His first solo release, Lignes Claires, features the work of Ravel and Lipatti. Julien joins forces with violinist Lorenzo Gatto for the album, Beethoven Violin Sonatas, and with cellist Camille Thomas on Réminiscences for a musical exploration of late 19th-century Paris, the latter winning the 2017 ECHO Klassik award for chamber music.

Born in 1987 near Brussels, Julien's earliest musical memory is the famous documentary on the recording of West  Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. From the age of six he has used piano to express a love of music which encompasses opera, orchestra and chamber music as much as the entire piano repertoire. 

After studying under Jean Fassina, he began an intense collaboration with Maria João Pires whose advice and support continue to be an important influence. He is actively engaged in a number of social projects, all rooted in the idea that music, far beyond its aesthetic value, can be a force of change for anyone ready to listen.

Julien has played in Brussels, Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona and Amsterdam, as well as Japan, Beirut and North America accompanied by some of the world's top orchestras and finest conductors. He works on regular basis with Augustin Dumay, Frank Braley, Maria João Pires and Lorenzo Gatto and Camille Thomas. He lives in Brussels and is married to the pianist Elodie Vignon.