Julian Lloyd Webber facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Julian Lloyd Webber OBE
Lloyd Webber performing in 2013
Born	(1951-04-14) 14 April 1951 (age 74)
Alma mater	Royal College of Music
Occupation	Cellist conductor music educator
Years active	1971–present
Spouse(s)	Celia Ballantyne ​ ​ (m. 1974; div. 1989)​ Zohra Mahmoud Ghazi ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 1998)​ Kheira Bourahla ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2008)​ Jiaxin Cheng ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	William Lloyd Webber (father)
Relatives	Andrew Lloyd Webber (brother) Imogen Lloyd Webber (niece) Nick Lloyd Webber (nephew)

Julian Lloyd Webber OBE (born 14 April 1951) is a famous British cellist, conductor, and music teacher. He used to be the head of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He also started a special music education program called In Harmony.

Early Life and Music Studies

Julian Lloyd Webber grew up in a very musical family. His father, William Lloyd Webber, was a composer and music teacher. His mother, Jean Johnstone, taught piano. Julian's older brother is the famous composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Julian received a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in 1968. He finished his studies with a well-known cellist, Pierre Fournier, in Geneva in 1973.

Julian Lloyd Webber studied at the Royal College of Music in London.

A Career in Music

Julian Lloyd Webber played his first professional cello concert in London in 1972. He performed a cello concerto by Sir Arthur Bliss. Throughout his career, he has worked with many different musicians. These include famous conductors like Yehudi Menuhin and Georg Solti. He also played with pianists like Clifford Curzon and even popular artists like Elton John. Many people called him the "doyen" (a respected expert) of British cellists.

He has made many recordings, and some have won awards. His recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto was chosen as the best version ever by BBC Music Magazine. He also recorded concertos by Dvořák and Tchaikovsky. He recorded pieces by Britten and Walton that were praised as "beyond any rival."

Julian Lloyd Webber has performed over 50 new pieces for the cello for the first time. Many composers wrote music especially for him. These include Malcolm Arnold, Joaquín Rodrigo, James MacMillan, and Philip Glass. He even performed a special double concerto for cello and saxophone by Michael Nyman on TV.

In 2009, he became the President of the Elgar Society. This is a group dedicated to the composer Edward Elgar.

Sadly, in April 2014, Julian Lloyd Webber announced he had to stop performing as a cellist. A neck injury made it hard for him to move his bowing arm. His last public concert as a cellist was on 2 May 2014.

After retiring from performing, he became a public spokesman for the charity Live Music Now in September 2014. This charity helps bring music to people who might not usually experience it.

Helping Music Education

Julian Lloyd Webber cares a lot about music education. In 2003, he helped create the Music Education Consortium. This group worked hard to get more money for music education in the UK. Because of their efforts, the government announced a huge amount of money for music education in 2007.

In 2008, the British government asked him to lead their In Harmony program. This program is based on a successful music education system from Venezuela called El Sistema. The In Harmony projects have been very successful, giving "life-changing experiences" to young people. The founder of El Sistema, José Antonio Abreu, even recognized In Harmony as part of the worldwide El Sistema network.

Julian Lloyd Webber also spoke out against government plans that would have removed arts subjects from the main school curriculum. The government later changed its plans. He often appears on TV and radio to talk about the importance of the arts.

In 2021, he was part of a group that created the UK government's Model Music Curriculum. He also supports several charities that help young musicians.

Leading the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

In July 2015, Julian Lloyd Webber became the head of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. During his five years there, he oversaw a big move to a new £57 million building. He also helped the Conservatoire merge with the Birmingham School of Acting. In 2017, Queen Elizabeth II gave the Conservatoire "Royal" status. After he left in 2020, he was named an Emeritus Professor. This means he is still recognized for his important work there.

Awards and Recognitions

Julian Lloyd Webber has received many awards for his contributions to music:

• In 1998, he received the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum.
• In 2005, Classic FM gave him a Red Award for his amazing services to music.
• He won a BRIT Award in 1986 for his recording of Elgar's Cello Concerto.
• He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Music in 1994.
• He has received special honorary doctorates from several universities.
• He is also a vice president of the Delius Society and a patron of various music and children's charities.
• In 2001, he was the first classical musician to get a special license to play music on the London Underground.
• He was the only classical musician chosen to play at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
• In 2014, he received the Distinguished Musician Award.
• In 2021, he was given the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honor for his services to music.

Personal Life

Julian Lloyd Webber and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire 2018

Julian Lloyd Webber has been married four times. In 1974, he married Celia Ballantyne. Later, he married Zohra Mahmoud Ghazi, who was related to the king of Afghanistan. They had a son named David. His third marriage was to Kheira Bourahla. In 2009, he married fellow cellist Jiaxin Cheng. They have a daughter named Jasmine Orienta.

He is a big fan of the Leyton Orient football club.

Selected Recordings

Julian Lloyd Webber has recorded many famous pieces for cello. Here are some of his recordings:

Cello and Orchestra

• Edward Elgar – Cello Concerto (1985)
• Antonín Dvořák – Cello Concerto (1988)
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme (1991)
• Benjamin Britten – Cello Symphony (1995)
• William Walton – Cello Concerto (1995)
• Philip Glass – Cello Concerto No. 1 (2003)
• Andrew Lloyd Webber – Phantasia for violin, cello and orchestra (2004)

Cello and Piano

• Benjamin Britten – Third Suite for Cello (1979)
• Sergei Rachmaninoff – Cello Sonata (1979)
• Dmitri Shostakovich – Cello Sonata (1988)

Solo Cello

• Benjamin Britten – Third Suite for Cello (1979)
• Malcolm Arnold – Fantasy for Cello (1986)

Collections

• Travels with My Cello (1984)
• Cello Moods (1998)
• The Art of Julian Lloyd Webber (2011)

First Performances of New Works

Julian Lloyd Webber has helped many composers introduce their new music to the world. Here are some of the important first performances he gave:

See also

In Spanish: Julian Lloyd Webber para niños