Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

, conductor and broadcaster, a former

principal Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the head of a school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in the UK Civil Ser ...

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is a music school, drama school and concert venue in Birmingham, England. It provides education in music, acting, and related disciplines up to postgraduate level. It is a centre for scholarly research and docto ...

and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme.

Early years and education

Julian Lloyd Webber is the second son of the composer and music educator

William Lloyd Webber William Southcombe Lloyd Webber (11 March 1914 – 29 October 1982) was an English organist and composer, who achieved some fame as a part of the modern classical music movement whilst commercially facing mixed opportunities. Besides his long ...

and his wife, Jean Johnstone (a piano teacher). He is the younger brother of the composer

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...

. The composer

Herbert Howells Herbert Norman Howells (17 October 1892 – 23 February 1983) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music. Life Background and early education Howells was born in Lydney, Gloucest ...

was his godfather. He won a scholarship to the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

in 1968 and completed his studies with

Pierre Fournier Pierre Léon Marie Fournier (24 June 19068 January 1986) was a French cellist who was called the "aristocrat of cellists" on account of his elegant musicianship and majestic sound. Biography Pierre Fournier was born in Paris, the son of a F ...

in Geneva in 1973. Royal College of Music - April 2007

Career

Lloyd Webber made his professional debut as a cellist at the

Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts European classical music, classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by ...

, London, in September 1972 when he gave the first London performance of the

cello concerto A cello concerto (sometimes called a violoncello concerto) is a concerto for solo cello with orchestra or, very occasionally, smaller groups of instruments. These pieces have been written since the Baroque era if not earlier. However, unlike instru ...

by Sir

Arthur Bliss Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (2 August 189127 March 1975) was an English composer and conductor. Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army. In the post-war years he qui ...

. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a wide variety of musicians, including conductors

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (22 April 191612 March 1999), was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. ...

Lorin Maazel Lorin Varencove Maazel (; March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an American conductor, violinist and composer. He began conducting at the age of eight and by 1953 had decided to pursue a career in music. He had established a reputation in t ...

Neville Marriner Sir Neville Marriner, (15 April 1924 – 2 October 2016) was an English conductor and violinist. Described as "one of the world's greatest conductors", Gramophone lists Marriner as one of the 50 greatest conductors and another compilation ra ...

Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt, and London, and as a long-servi ...

Yevgeny Svetlanov Yevgeny Fyodorovich Svetlanov (; 6 September 1928 – 3 May 2002) was a Soviet and Russian conductor, composer, and pianist. Life and work Svetlanov was born in Moscow and studied conducting with Alexander Gauk at the Moscow Conservatory Th ...

Mark Elder Sir Mark Philip Elder (born 2 June 1947) is a British conductor. Life and career Elder was born in Hexham, Northumberland, the son of a dentist. He played the bassoon when in primary school, at Bryanston School, Dorset, and in the National ...

, Andrew Davis,

Charles Mackerras Sir Alan Charles MacLaurin Mackerras (; (17 November 1925 – 14 July 2010) was an American-born Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. He was long associ ...

and

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish conducting, conductor and composer. He is the music director of the San Francisco Symphony and conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Sw ...

, pianists

Clifford Curzon Sir Clifford Michael Curzon CBE (né Siegenberg; 18 May 19071 September 1982) was an English classical pianist. Curzon studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and subsequently with Artur Schnabel in Berlin and Wanda Landowska and ...

and

Murray Perahia Murray David Perahia ( ; born April 19, 1947) is an American pianist and conductor. He has been considered one of the greatest living pianists. He was the first North American pianist to win the Leeds International Piano Competition, in 1972. ...

as well as

Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands. ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

and

Cleo Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Hitching; 28 October 1927) is an English singer and actress known for her scat singing. She is the widow of jazz composer and musician Sir John Dankworth and the mother of bassist Alec D ...

. He was described in ''

The Strad ''The Strad'' is a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instrumentsprincipally the violin, viola, cello, and double bassfor amateur and professional musicians. Founded in 1889, the magazine provides information, photographs and ...

'' as the "

doyen A doyen or doyenne (from the French language, French word ''wikt:doyen#French, doyen'', ''doyenne'' in the feminine grammatical gender) is the senior ambassador by length of service in a particular country. In the English language, the meaning ...

of British cellists". His many recordings include his BRIT Award-winning

Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

Cello Concerto A cello concerto (sometimes called a violoncello concerto) is a concerto for solo cello with orchestra or, very occasionally, smaller groups of instruments. These pieces have been written since the Baroque era if not earlier. However, unlike instru ...

conducted by Yehudi Menuhin (chosen as the finest ever version by ''

BBC Music Magazine ''BBC Music Magazine'' is a British monthly magazine that focuses primarily on classical music. The first issue appeared in September 1992. BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC, was the original owner and publisher together with ...

''), the Dvořák

with

Václav Neumann Václav Neumann (29 October 1920 – 2 September 1995) was a Czech conductor, violinist, violist, and opera director. Life and career Neumann was born in Prague, where he studied at the Prague Conservatory with Josef Micka (violin), and ...

and the

Czech Philharmonic The Czech Philharmonic () is a symphony orchestra based in Prague. Its principal performing venue is the Rudolfinum concert hall. History The name "Czech Philharmonic Orchestra" appeared for the first time in 1894, as the title of the orche ...

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

's Rococo Variations with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

under

Maxim Shostakovich Maxim Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (; born 10 May 1938 in Leningrad) is a Soviet, Russian and American conductor and pianist. He is the second child of the composer Dmitri Shostakovich and Nina Varzar. His older sister is Galina Shostakovich. He is ...

and a coupling of

Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

's Cello Symphony and

Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingd ...

with Sir

and the

Academy of St Martin in the Fields The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) is an English orchestra, based in London. John Churchill, then Master of Music at the London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Neville Marriner founded the orchestra as "The Academy of St. M ...

which was described as "beyond any rival" by

Edward Greenfield Edward Harry Greenfield OBE (3 July 1928 – 1 July 2015) was an English music critic and broadcaster. Early life Edward Greenfield was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. His father, Percy Greenfield, was a manager in a labour exchange, while his ...

in ''

Gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

'' magazine, He has also made several recordings of shorter pieces for

Universal Classics Decca Gold is a United States–based record label focusing on classical repertoire. It falls under the umbrella of Verve Label Group, owned by Universal Music Group. The label has a new roster of classical artists and partnerships, and was inspir ...

including '' Made in England'', ''

Cello Moods ''Cello Moods'' is an album recorded by the British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and, principally, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under James Judd in 1998 for Philips. It is a collection of classical pieces either originally written for or ad ...

'', ''Cradle Song'' and ''English Idyll''. Lloyd Webber has premiered the recordings of more than 50 works, inspiring new compositions for cello from composers as diverse as

Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and music f ...

(Fantasy for Cello, 1986, and Cello Concerto, 1989),

Joaquín Rodrigo Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez (; 22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999), was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist. He is best known for composing the '' Concierto de Aranjuez'', a cornerstone of the classical g ...

('' Concierto como un divertimento'', 1982)

James MacMillan Sir James Loy MacMillan, TOSD (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor. Early life MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is Jam ...

(Cello Sonata No. 2, 2001), and

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

(

, 2001). More recent concert performances have included four further works composed for Lloyd Webber –

Michael Nyman Michael Laurence Nyman, Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 23 March 1944) is an English composer, pianist, libretto, librettist, musicologist, and filmmaker. He is known for numerous film soundtrack, scores (many written during his lengthy ...

's Double Concerto for Cello and Saxophone on

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Television,

Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, Musical historicism, historicism, Avant-garde music, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early lif ...

's Concerto in

Suntory Hall The is a concert venue in the central Akasaka district of Tokyo, Japan. Part of the Ark Hills complex, it consists of a main concert hall, widely considered one of the finest in the world for its acoustics – Herbert von Karajan called it “ ...

, Tokyo, Glass's Cello Concerto at the Beijing International Festival and

Eric Whitacre Eric Edward Whitacre (born January2, 1970) is an American composer, conductor, and speaker best known for his choral music. Early life Whitacre was born in Reno, Nevada, to Ross and Roxanne Whitacre. He studied piano intermittently as a child a ...

's '' The River Cam'' at the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell R ...

. His recording of the Glass concerto with the

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmo ...

conducted by

Gerard Schwarz Gerard Schwarz (born August 19, 1947), also known as Gerry Schwarz or Jerry Schwarz, is an American symphony conductor and trumpeter. As of 2019, Schwarz serves as the Artistic and Music Director of Palm Beach Symphony and the Director of Orc ...

was released on Glass' Orange Mountain label in September 2005. Other recordings include ''

The Art of Julian Lloyd Webber ''The Art of Julian Lloyd Webber'' is a 2011 album by Julian Lloyd Webber. Track listing Disc 1 # "Cello Concerto 1st Movement" by Edward Elgar # "The Swan" by Saint-Saëns # "Salut d'amour" by Edward Elgar # "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy # ...

'' (2011), '' Evening Songs'' (2012), '' A Tale of Two Cellos'' (2013), ''Vivaldi Concertos for Two Cellos'' together with

Jiaxin Cheng Jiaxin Cheng ( zh, c=程嘉欣, links=no, born 2 October 1974) is a Chinese cellist. Career Cheng graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, China, in 1997. She was already giving performances with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra but left ...

(2014) and his debut recording as a conductor of English music for strings ''

And the Bridge Is Love ''And the Bridge Is Love'' is a work for cello and strings by the English composer Howard Goodall (b. 1958). It is also the title track of the recording of the same name by Julian Lloyd Webber and the English Chamber Orchestra, released in 2015. ...

'' (2015). In May 2009, Lloyd Webber was elected President of the

Elgar Society The Elgar Society was founded in 1951 to promote performance of the music of British composer Edward Elgar, especially the more rarely performed items. Registered as a charity on 22 January 1988, It is particularly concerned with introducing the co ...

in succession to

Sir Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was a British conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London ...

, Lord Menuhin, and

Richard Hickox Richard Sidney Hickox (5 March 1948 – 23 November 2008) was an English conductor of choral, orchestral and operatic music. Early life and education Hickox was born in Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire into a musical family. After attending ...

. On 28 April 2014, Lloyd Webber announced his retirement from public performance as a cellist because of a

herniated disc A disc herniation or spinal disc herniation is an injury to the intervertebral disc between two vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, ...

in his neck which reduced the power in his bow arm. His final public performance as a cellist was on 2 May 2014 at the

Festival Theatre, Malvern The Festival Theatre, now known as Malvern Theatres, is a theatre complex on Grange Road in Malvern, Worcestershire, England. Malvern Theatres, housed in the Winter Gardens complex in the town centre of Great Malvern, has been a provincial cen ...

, with the

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. With a limited performance size, the orchestra spe ...

. In September 2014, the charity

Live Music Now Live Music Now is a charity which works with special educational needs providers and care homes to provide live music. The name ''Live Music Now'' covers several connected charities around the world, the first of which was founded in the UK in ...

announced Lloyd Webber as its public spokesman. In July 2015 Lloyd Webber was appointed Principal of

. In 2016 Lloyd Webber scripted and presented 'Classic Cellists at the BBC' for

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios ...

and in 2019, to commemorate the centenary of the first performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto in October 1919, Lloyd Webber scripted and presented 'Music in the Air: 100 years of Elgar's Cello Concerto' for Classic FM. In 2021 Lloyd Webber presented and scripted a five-part series for Classic FM in which he chose "30 under 30 of today's finest young musicians at a time when it has never been more difficult for them to show their talents on stage". In November 2021

Sky Arts Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, films, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...

screened the TV special "Classic FM's Rising Stars with Julian Lloyd Webber". In July 2022 Lloyd Webber made a further selection of 30 Rising Stars together with Classic FM and another Sky Arts special was shown in November 2022. A third series of Rising Stars was announced by Classic FM in March 2023 and broadcast on 13 November 2023 In November 2023 Lloyd Webber was presented with the London Cello Society's Lifetime Achievement Award

Involvement with music education

Demonstrating his long involvement with music education, he formed the Music Education Consortium with

James Galway Sir James Galway (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute". After several years working as an orchestral musician, he established an international career as a solo flute pl ...

and

Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire, in Scotland. The i ...

in 2003. As a result of successful and continued

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

by the Consortium, on 21 November 2007, the UK government announced an infusion of £332 million for music education. In 2008, the British government invited Lloyd Webber to be chairman of its In Harmony programme which is based on the Venezuelan social programme

El Sistema El Sistema (which translates to The System) is a publicly financed, voluntary sector, music-education program, founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician, and activist José Antonio Abreu.Lesniak It later adopted the motto " ...

. The government-commissioned Henley Review of Music Education (2011) reported, "There is no doubt that they he In Harmony projectshave delivered life-changing experiences." In July 2011 the founder of El Sistema in Venezuela,

José Antonio Abreu José Antonio Abreu Anselmi (May 7, 1939 – March 24, 2018) was a Venezuelan orchestra conductor, pianist, economist, educator, activist, and politician best known for his association with El Sistema. He was honored with the 2009 Latin Gramm ...

, recognised In Harmony as part of the El Sistema worldwide network. Further, in November 2011 the British government announced additional support for In Harmony across England by extending funding from the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for child protection, child services, education in England, educati ...

and adding funding from

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...

from 2012 to 2015. Lloyd Webber now

chairs A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or Upholstery, upholstered ...

the charity Sistema England. In October 2012 he led the

Incorporated Society of Musicians The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK and Ireland's professional body for musicians representing over 11,000 individuals across all areas of the music industry. The ISM is also a subject association for music education and is an in ...

campaign against the implementation of the

English Baccalaureate The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a school performance indicator in England linked to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results. It measures students' attainment by calculating an average score from specified subject grades. ...

which proposed to remove arts subjects from the core curriculum. In February 2013 the government withdrew its plans. Lloyd Webber has represented the arts sector on programmes such as BBC1's '' Question Time'', ''

The Andrew Marr Show ''The Andrew Marr Show'' is a Sunday morning talk show presented by Andrew Marr. It was broadcast on BBC One from 2005 to 2021. The programme replaced the long-running ''Breakfast with Frost'' as the network's flagship Sunday talk show when Dav ...

'', BBC2's ''

Newsnight ''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also avail ...

'' and BBC Radio 4's ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'', ''

The World at One ''The World at One'' (or ''WATO'', pronounced "what-oh") is BBC Radio 4's long-running lunchtime news and current affairs radio programme, broadcast weekdays from 13:00 to 13:45 and produced by BBC News. The programme describes itself as "Bri ...

'', '' PM'', '' Front Row'' and ''

The World Tonight ''The World Tonight'' is a British current affairs radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4, every weekday evening, which started out as an extension of the 10 pm news. It is produced by BBC News and features news, analysis and comment on dome ...

''. Lloyd Webber was part of the expert panel which produced the UK government's Model Music Curriculum in March 2021. He is a patron of the charity Quartet of Peace, which supports the further education of talented young South African musicians , honorary patron of the Nucleo Project and an inaugural ambassador of the London Music Fund. He is also the patron of

Guildford County School Guildford County School (GCS) is a co-educational day school on Farnham Road ( A31), Guildford, England, 200 metres from Guildford town centre. It has around 1050 students enrolled, including the Sixth Form. It is run by its headmaster Steve Smi ...

and a patron of the

Purcell School The Purcell School for Young Musicians is a specialist private music school for children, located in the town of Bushey, south Hertfordshire, England, and is the oldest specialist music school in the UK. The school was awarded the UNESCO Mozar ...

Principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Lloyd Webber was appointed principal of the

in July 2015. During his five-year tenure he oversaw the move to a new £57 million building on the

Birmingham City University City Centre Campus Birmingham City University City Centre Campus (known informally as Eastside Campus and tentatively as Creative Campus) "flagship" campus in the centre of Birmingham. It was constructed next to the existing facilities at Millennium Point and is pa ...

and the merger of the Conservatoire with the

Birmingham School of Acting Birmingham School of Acting (BSA), previously known as Birmingham School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art (BSSTDA) and then as Birmingham School of Speech and Drama (BSSD) is a drama school located in Birmingham, England and is a part of the R ...

. In September 2017 the Conservatoire received the Royal status by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. In September 2020, in recognition of his tenure, Lloyd Webber was appointed Emeritus Professor of Performing Arts by

Birmingham City University Birmingham City University (abbrev. BCU) is a university in Birmingham, England. Initially established as the Birmingham College of Art with roots dating back to 1843, it was designated as a polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic in 1971 an ...

Honours and awards

Lloyd Webber received the Crystal Award at the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

in 1998 and a Classic FM Red Award for outstanding services to music in 2005. He won the Best British Classical Recording at the 1986 Brit Awards for his recording of Elgar's

with Sir

and the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

. He was made a Fellow of the

in 1994 and has received honorary doctorates from the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

Plymouth University The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...

and

Thames Valley University The University of West London (UWL) is a Public university, public research university in the United Kingdom with campuses in Ealing, Brentford, and Reading, Berkshire. The university has roots in 1860 when the Lady Byron School was founded, ...

. He is vice president of the

Delius file:Fritz Delius (1907).jpg, Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (born Fritz Theodor Albert Delius; ; 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prospero ...

Society and a patron of Music in Hospitals and the patron of the Elgar Festival He has been an ambassador for the

Prince's Trust The King's Trust (formerly the Prince's Trust) is a United Kingdom-based charity founded in 1976 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds who are unempl ...

for more than thirty years and a patron of

CLIC Sargent Young Lives vs Cancer, the operating name for "CLIC Sargent", is a charity in the United Kingdom formed in 2005. Young Lives vs Cancer is the 12th largest cancer charity in the UK with a focus on children, young people and their families. Its c ...

for more than thirty years. In May 2001, he was granted the first busker's licence on the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

. In September 2009 he joined the board of governors of the

. He was the

Foundling Museum The Foundling Museum in Brunswick Square, London, tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, Britain's first home for children at risk of abandonment. The museum houses the nationally important Foundling Hospital Collection as well as the Geral ...

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

Fellow for 2010. He was the only classical musician chosen to play at the

2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony The closing ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, also known as A Symphony of British Music, was held on 12 August 2012 in the Olympic Stadium, London. The chief guest was Prince Harry representing Queen Elizabeth II. The closing cerem ...

. On 16 April 2014 Lloyd Webber received the

Distinguished Musician Award. Lloyd Webber was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2021 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

for services to music.

Personal life

In 1974, aged 23, Lloyd Webber married Celia Ballantyne, a marriage that lasted 15 years. In 1989 he married Zohra Mahmoud Ghazi, a great niece of

Mohammed Zahir Shah Mohammad Zāhir Shāh (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. Ruling for 40 years, Zahir Shah was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan since t ...

king of Afghanistan The Emir of Afghanistan or also later the King of Afghanistan was the monarch and head of state of Afghanistan from the establishment of the Emirate of Afghanistan, Emirate in the 18th century until the monarchy was abolished in 1973. The title ...

, with whom he had a son. His third marriage was to French-Algerian Kheira Bourahla. In 2009 he married fellow cellist

. The couple have one daughter. He is a lifelong supporter of

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...

football club in east London."Exclusive Interview: Julian Lloyd Webber on Orient"
View from the West Stand 5 September 2011

Recordings

Cello and orchestra

Frank Bridge Frank Bridge (26 February 187910 January 1941) was an English composer, violist and conductor. Life Bridge was born in Brighton, the ninth child of William Henry Bridge (1845–1928), a violin teacher and variety theatre conductor, formerly a ...

– ''Oration'' (1976) *

Édouard Lalo Édouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo (27 January 182322 April 1892) was a French composer, violist, violinist, and academic teacher. His most celebrated piece is the '' Symphonie Espagnole'', a five-movement concerto for violin and orchestra that re ...

–

(1982) *

Frederick Delius file:Fritz Delius (1907).jpg, Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (born Fritz Theodor Albert Delius; ; 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prospero ...

–

(1982) *

– '' Concierto como un divertimento'' (1982) *

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

– Cello Concertos No. 1 and No. 4 (1983) *

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

–

(1985) *

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...

– Cello Concerto No. 2 (1986) *

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

– Cello Concerto (1986) *

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...

–

(1988) *

Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss-French composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. Honegger was a member of Les Six. For Halbreich, '' Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' is "more even ...

– Cello Concerto (1990) *

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

– Cello Concerto No. 1 (1990) *

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

– ''Variations on a Rococo Theme'' (1991) * Nikolai Myaskovsky – Cello Concerto (1991) * Gustav Holst – ''Invocation ''(1993) *

– Cello Concerto (1994) * Benjamin Britten – '' Cello Symphony'' (1995) * William Walton –

(1995) *

– Concerto for Cello, Saxophone and orchestra (1996) * Max Bruch – ''Kol Nidrei (Bruch), Kol Nidrei'' (1998) * Granville Bantock – ''Sapphic Poem'' (1999) *

– Cello Concerto No. 1 (Glass), Cello Concerto No. 1 (2003) *

– ''Phantasia (album), Phantasia'' for violin, cello and orchestra (2004) *

– '' The River Cam'' (2012) * ''Antonio Vivaldi, Vivaldi Concertos for Two Cellos'' (2014) * Howard Goodall – ''

'' (2015)

Cello and piano

* Peter Racine Fricker – Cello Sonata (1976) * John Ireland (composer), John Ireland – Complete Piano Trios (1976) * Benjamin Britten – Cello suites (Britten), Third Suite for Cello (1979) * Claude Debussy – Cello Sonata (Debussy), Cello Sonata (1979) * John Ireland – Cello Sonata (1979) * Sergei Rachmaninoff – Cello Sonata (Rachmaninoff), Cello Sonata (1979) * Alan Rawsthorne – Cello Sonata (1986) * Benjamin Britten – Cello Sonata (Britten), Cello Sonata (1988) * Sergei Prokofiev – ''Ballade'' (1988) * Dmitri Shostakovich – Cello Sonata (Shostakovich), Cello Sonata (1988) * Gabriel Fauré – ''Elegie'' (1990) * Charles Villiers Stanford – Cello Sonata No. 2 (1991) *

– ''Caprice and Elegy'' (1993) * Edvard Grieg – Cello Sonata (Grieg), Cello Sonata (1995) * Frederick Delius – Cello Sonata (1995)

Solo cello

* John McCabe (composer) – Partita for Solo Cello (1976) * Benjamin Britten – Cello suites (Britten), Third Suite for Cello (1979) *

– Fantasy for Cello (1986) * William Walton – Passacaglia for solo Cello (1986) * Benjamin Britten – Tema Paul Sacher, Sacher (1979) * Johann Sebastian Bach, J. S. Bach – Cello Suites (Bach)#Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009, Bourrées from Suite No. 3 (1973) * Trad. Irish – "Star of the County Down" (1993)

Cross-genre

* ''Variations (Andrew Lloyd Webber album), Variations'' with Gary Moore, Barbara Thompson (musician), Barbara Thompson, Jon Hiseman, Rod Argent (1978) * ''Oasis (Oasis album), Oasis'', with Peter Skellern and Mary Hopkin (1984) * ''Two Worlds'', with Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin (2000)

Collections

* ''Travels with My Cello (album), Travels with My Cello'' (1984) * '' Pieces'' (1985) * ''Encore! (Travels with My Cello – Volume 2), Encore! – Travels with my Cello Vol. 2'' (1986) * ''Lloyd Webber Plays Lloyd Webber'' (1989) * ''Cello Song'' (1993) * ''English Idyll'' (1994) * ''Cradle Song'' (1995) * ''

'' (1998) * ''Elegy (Julian Lloyd Webber album), Elegy'' (1999) * ''Celebration (Julian Lloyd Webber album), Celebration'' (2001) * '' Made in England'' (2003) * ''Unexpected Songs'' (2006) * ''Romantic Cello Concertos'' (2009) * ''Fair Albion'' – Music by Patrick Hawes (2009) * ''

'' (2011) * '' Evening Songs'' (2012) * '' A Tale of Two Cellos'' (2013) * ''A Span of Time'' (2018) * ''The Singing Strad'' (2021)

Conducting

*''

– English Music for Strings'',

(2015)

First performances

Publications

*''Travels with My Cello (book), Travels with My Cello'', Julian Lloyd Webber, Pavilion Books, London (1984). *''Julian Lloyd Webber: Married to Music. The Authorised Biography'', Margaret Campbell, Robson Books, London (2001). . *''Short Sharp Shocks – A Masterclass of the Macabre'', ed. Julian Lloyd Webber, Weidenfeld & Nicolson 1990, . *''Song of the Birds (book), Song of the Birds. Sayings, Stories and Impressions of Pablo Casals'', compiled, edited and with a foreword by Lloyd Webber, Robson Books, London (1985 . *Numerous editions including Arnold's ''Fantasy for Cello'' (Faber Music), Rodrigo's ''Concierto como un divertimento'' (Schott Music, Schott) and a series of editions for Faber Music's ''Young Cellists' Repertoire'' (books 1, 2 and 3), followed by two advanced volumes, ''Recital Repertoire for Cellists'' (books 1 and 2.) *Editions of the major cello repertoire, ''The Julian Lloyd Webber Performing Edition'', Kevin Mayhew Ltd.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd Webber, Julian 1951 births Living people Alumni of the Royal College of Music Brit Award winners English classical cellists People educated at University College School 20th-century British classical musicians 21st-century British classical musicians 21st-century English musicians 20th-century English musicians Lloyd Webber family, Julian 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians Musicians from London Officers of the Order of the British Empire Oasis (1980s band) members 20th-century British cellists 21st-century British cellists Fellows of the Royal College of Music Academics of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire British music educators