Julian Lloyd-Webber

Julian Lloyd-Webber’s career is as impressive as his musical pedigree. His professional debut was in 1972 when he played at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. He participated in the first performance in London of a cello concerto composed by Sir Arthur Bliss. He’s also collaborated with several of the world’s finest musical talents, from the legendary Yehudi Menuhin to Elton John. 

Among his most notable performances was his BRIT award-winning rendition of the Elgar Cello Concerto conducted by Yehudi Menuhin. The BBC Music magazine considered it to be the finest version of the concerto ever performed. He also played the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Czech Philharmonic, Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the London Symphony Orchestra, and Edward Benjamin Britten’s Cello Symphony to name a few. 

Aside from his recording commitments, Lloyd-Webber also pours efforts into improving music education in the UK. One of his projects is the Music Education Consortium, which he established with Evelyn Glennie and James Galloway in 2003. The Consortium was among the biggest lobbyists in the push for more funding to support music education, and in 2007, the UK government decided to allot £332 million for the cause. Eventually, Lloyd-Webber was invited by the government to head its musical education program called In Harmony, which was based heavily on Venezuela’s program El Sistema. 

For his contributions to music, Lloyd-Webber has received several of the industry’s most prestigious awards. This includes the Classic FM Red Award in 2005 and the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum in 1998. He’s also been given the Distinguished Musician Award from the Incorporated Society of Musicians, which serves as the UK’s foremost governing body for professional musicians.