Artist(s)

“The complete musician, who unites, at any musical moment, a true understanding of the piece, a solid intellectual approach and an infallible instinct for the impalpable.” - Maria João Pires

Born in 1987 near Brussels, Belgium, Julien Libeer’s earliest musical memory was the famous documentary on the recording of West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. The piano, which he took up at age six, quickly became the faithful companion for expressing a love of music that, until today, thrives as much on opera, orchestra and chamber music as on the piano repertoire.

For five decisive years, French-Polish pedagogue Jean Fassina was the patient, demanding, wise teacher that any aspiring musician should have the chance to encounter. This experience was followed by the equally intense collaboration with Maria João Pires at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, whose advice and support strongly infl uenced Julien Libeer’s views over the last years, and continue to do so.

Julien Libeer has been a regular guest of Flagey and the Palais des Beaux- Arts in Brussels, the Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), the Juventus Festival and the Abu Dhabi Music Festival. A member of Maria Joao Pires’ Partitura project, he has recently made his debut in such venues as the London Barbican Hall, the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Barcelona’s Palau de la Musica and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Upcoming invitations include a Japan tour and performances at the Miami International Piano Festival, among others. An accomplished chamber musician, he performs with Lorenzo Gatto, Camille Thomas, Augustin Dumay, Maria João Pires, Frank Braley, to name just a few.

Julien Libeer has studied piano with Daniel Blumenthal (Royal Conservatory of Brussels), Jean Fassina (Paris), and is an associate artist of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, where he also specialized in chamber music with the members of the Artemis Quartet. Furthermore, he has received the advice of Dmitry Bashkirov, Alfred Brendel, Abdel Rahman El Bacha and Gerhard Schulz (Alban Berg Quartet).

He has received the Juventus prize (most promising young European soloist) in 2008, and was elected Young Musician of the Year by the Belgian Music Press Association in 2010. The Klara award 2013 was attributed to him by the audience of the national radio for classical music.

Much appreciated for his eloquence, Julien Libeer is a regular guest of media at home and abroad. His work has been subject of a TV documentary (“Technique doesn’t exist”, 2013), also available on YouTube.

Based in Brussels, he spends most of his free time reading, swimming or enjoying a good series, and is actively engaged in a number of social projects, all rooted in the idea that music, far beyond its esthetic value, can be a force of change for anyone ready to listen.

Composer(s)

Press

"Making music reaches further than a sympathic culture perception."
Painist, 01-11-2016

Luister, April 2016
Luister, 08-4-2016

"Answers to a fall vision"
Piano Wereld, 04-4-2016

"itt adorns Libeer that he introduces with much respect and understanding speaks of the two masters and that he does justice by the brightness of the lines (Lignes Claires) in the foreground."
Luister Magazine, 01-4-2016

Pianist, April 2016
Pianist, 01-4-2016

"Libeer handles the rhythms freely, giving the pieces their natural character. "
Nederlands Dagblad, 25-3-2016

"This album is also an exploration of piano sound, which tingles in the warm acoustics of Flagey, such as light sparkles in a glass and gets his tone through the wine that was poured into it. Nothing is more transient than this, Libeer seems to tell us."
Piano Wereld, 16-3-2016

"Julien Lambert honors him with a performance of a nocturne and the Sonatine for the left hand warm, glowing notes with a surprise: Lipatti gave not only to old masters, but also had something beautiful with the rhythmic volkmuziek of his country. His Sonatine sounds in the hands of Lancaster as a toccata with swirling drive which, again, close to the jazz."
De Volkskrant, 04-3-2016

"Because what immediately stands out to his interpretation and piano playing is the absolute brightness of the discourse: the wonderfully balanced melodic lines and the intelligent, almost intellectual structure of the big bow. This combined with flawlessly clear articulation, an almost maniacal attention to and highly sensitive to the touch of the smallest color shift, and the playful nuances in the rhythm, it all delivers an enchanting listening experience."
Klara, 21-2-2016

''Julian Libeer is honoring him with a version of nocturne and the Sonatine for the left hand. Warm musical notes with a surprise: Lipatti did not just care about old masters, but also had astrong connection with the rythmic folk music from his country. His Sonatine in Libeer's hands sound like a toccata with a swirling drive, again, close to the jazz.''
De Volkskrant, 17-2-2016