Berger Julius

Born in 1954 in Augsburg, he studied at the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts with Walter Reichhard and Fritz Kiskalt, and later at the “Mozarteum” in Salzburg with Antonio Janigro (from 1979 to 1982, he worked as Janigro’s assistant). He continued his studies with Zara Nelsova (Cincinnati, USA) and also participated in a master class with Mstislav Rostropovich. At the age of 28, he became a professor at the Würzburg University of Music, making him the youngest professor in Germany. He subsequently taught in Saarbrücken, Mainz, and, since 2000, at the music conservatories in Augsburg and Nuremberg. He is currently a professor of cello and chamber music at the Leopold Mozart Center at the University of Augsburg. Since 1992, he has regularly led master classes at the International Summer Academy of the Mozarteum in Salzburg. His recordings of J.S. Bach’s six Suites have been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, as have his recordings of previously unpublished concertos by Luigi Boccherini. He has recorded world premieres of works by M. Bruch, L. Boccherini, R. Strass, M. Wolpe, M. Dupré, G. Tartini, and L. Leo for the labels Ebs, Orfeo, Wergo, CPO, and Organ. A sensitive and inspired performer of contemporary music, he maintains close relationships with some of the most important composers of our time, such as Olivier Messiaen, Sofia Gubaidulina, Wolfgang Rihm, Toshio Hosokawa, Wilhelm Killmeyer, Bertold Kummel, Viktor Suslin, and Adriana Holsky, who have dedicated many works to him that he has premiered. He has participated in numerous concerts and tours alongside distinguished colleagues such as Leonard Bernstein, Eugen Jochum, Gidon Kremer, Jörg Demus, Norman Shetler, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Bernd Glemser, Stefan Hussong, Eduard Brunner, and Wolfgang Meyer. He is president of the “Leopold Mozart” International Competition and serves on the jury for numerous awards in Salzburg, Kronberg, Munich, and Warsaw, as well as artistic director of the Eckelshausener Musiktage and the “Mozart 2006” celebration program in the city of Augsburg. He is the author of poems and essays such as *Irritationskraft* (Hindemith Jahrbuch, 1992), *Einheit in der Vielfalt – Vielfalt in der Einheit* (Research Journal of the University of Mainz, 1998), *Zeit und Ewigkeit* (with a foreword by Cardinal Karl Lehmann, 2001). Since 1997, he has been a member of the Central Committee of German Catholics and serves on the music commission of the German National Academic Foundation. Since 2009, he has been a member of the prestigious Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz. In July 2010, following the success of his performance of Schumann’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra at the prestigious and futuristic Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, designed by Frank Gehry, Los Angeles Times critic Mark Swed wrote of him: “Berger gave a remarkably rhapsodic performance. He lost himself in the music, almost embarrassingly so. He even conducted with his bow and, with his mouth wide open, silently sang along with the strings. He embraced interpretive extremes.” He dedicates his free time—away from his artistic commitments—to his family and to seeking silence while contemplating the Alpine world. Julius Berger served as artistic director of the Asiagofestival for 30 years, from the 1993 edition through the 2022 edition.