Julius Drake

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). Julius’s many recordings include a widely acclaimed series with Gerald Finley for Hyperion Records, of which the Barber Songs, Schumann Dichterliebe & other Heine settings and Britten Songs & Proverbs won the 2007, 2009 and 2011 Gramophone Awards respectively. Other recordings include celebrated albums with Ian Bostridge, Alice Coote, Joyce DiDonato, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Matthew Polenzani, Anna Prohaska and Brindley Sherratt. Julius’s recording of Janáček’s The diary of one who disappeared for Hyperion, with tenor Nicky Spence and mezzo-soprano Václava Housková, won both a Gramophone Award and a BBC Music Magazine Award in 2020. Concert highlights include recitals at La Scala (Milan) and the Munich Festival with Ludovic Tézier; visits to the Pierre Boulez Saal for the series ‘Lied und Lyrik’; piano-duet recitals with Elisabeth Leonskaja, including at the Schubertiade Festival in Austria; frequent performances at the Wigmore Hall, including its 2024–25 season opening concert to commemorate Fauré’s anniversary; and recitals in the USA and Europe with Fleur Barron, Ian Bostridge, Gerald Finley, Mercedes Gancedo, Christoph Prégardien, Julia Kleiter, Günther Groissböck and Roderick Williams.