The pianist Julius Drake lives in London and enjoys an international reputation as one of the finest instrumentalists in his field, collaborating with many of the world’s leading artists, both in recital and on disc. His passionate interest in song has led to invitations to devise song series for Wigmore Hall, London; The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; 92nd St Y, New York; and the Pierre Boulez Saal, Berlin. He curates an annual series of song recitals – Julius Drake and Friends – in the historic Middle Temple Hall in London.
Julius’ engagements in 2025/26 season include a Europen tour with Ludovic Tézier, recitals at Konzerthaus Dortmund, Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall with Günther Groissböck, performances of Winterreise at Théâtre de l'Athénée in Paris with Ian Bostridge, directed by Deborah Warner, a USA tour with Axelle Fanyo, and returns to the Boulez Saal Berlin, Leeds Lieder Festival and Oxford International Song Festival.
Recent concerts include return visits to the Boulez Saal Berlin for the series ‘Lied und Lyrik’; a recital tour in the USA with Ian Bostridge; the complete Mahler songs in five recitals in the Mahler Festival at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; return visits to the Chamber Music Festivals of Santa Fe, Leeds and Oxford; concerts in Berlin and the Aldeburgh Festival with Andrè Schuen; piano duet recitals with Elisabeth Leonskaja including at the Schubertiade Festival; recitals in the USA and Europe with Fleur Barron, Mercedes Gancedo, Christoph Prégardien, Julia Kleiter, Roderick Williams.
Julius’ many recordings include a widely acclaimed series with Gerald Finley for Hyperion Records, of which ‘Song by Samuel Barber’, ‘Schumann: Dichterliebe & other Heine Settings’ and ‘Britten: Songs & Proverbs of William Blake’ won the 2007, 2009 and 2011 Gramophone Awards and with Joyce DiDonato, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and Matthew Polenzani for Wigmore Live. His recordings of Janáček’s ‘The Diary of One Who Disappeared’, with tenor Nicky Spence and mezzo-soprano Václava Housková for Hyperion Records, won both the Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine Awards in 2020, and he won the 2025 BBC Music Magazine Chamber Award for his recording of works by Robert and Clara Schumann for Chandos, with oboist Nicholas Daniel.
