A major presence in the music world since the age of 13, Julian Rachlin has cemented his reputation as one of the most renowned artists of his time.
Over his career, he has taken his multifaceted interests across the globe as a conductor, soloist, recording artist, chamber musician, teacher and artistic director. As a violinist, he has shared the stage with the world’s most prestigious orchestras and conductors. A frequent presence on the podium, he thrills audiences with compelling interpretations — at once electrifying and sensitive, elegant and dynamic — establishing himself as a leading conductor of his generation.
Known for his meticulous rehearsal methods and deep musicianship, he has conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Israel Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Vienna Radio Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and China Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the festival orchestras of Grand Teton and Verbier.
Recent highlights as a soloist include appearances with the Oslo Philharmonic and Klaus Mäkelä, Philharmonia Orchestra with Santtu-Matias Rouvali, National Symphony Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda, Munich Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta, St. Petersburg Philharmonic with Yuri Temirkanov, Boston Symphony, Filarmonica della Scala, RAI National Symphony with Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orcheste Symphonique de Montréal and the Pittsburgh Symphony with Manfred Honeck.
A strong proponent of making classical music more relevant within today’s cultural framework, Rachlin creates projects with living composers and imaginative collaborators who have brought together artists from many disciplines, backgrounds and genres. He has worked closely with and given premieres of works by Krzysztof Penderecki, Giya Kancheli, Vangelis and Lera Auerbach. In 2000, he joined Mstislav Rostropovich in the premiere of Penderecki’s Sextet. Penderecki later wrote and dedicated the Concerto Doppio for Violin, Viola and Orchestra and the Ciaccona for Violins and Viola to Rachlin. Rachlin has appeared in films, collaborated with digital installation artists and has worked with notable actors such as John Malkovich, Sir Roger Moore and Gerard Depardieu.
Rachlin’s music festivals reflect his passion for bringing audiences together in a celebration of music and art. He frequently collaborates with longtime musical partners Martha Argerich, Evgeny Kissin, Janine Jansen and Vilde Frang. His work and dedication to Julian Rachlin & Friends, a festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia, which ran for over a decade, received worldwide recognition. Rachlin has been artistic director of the Herbstgold Festival at the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria, since 2021.
Dedicated to educating and supporting young talent, Rachlin founded the Julian Rachlin & Friends Foundation to help nurture the careers of young musicians. Since 1999, Rachlin has served as a faculty member and professor at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien.
Rachlin has received many honors recognizing his work in the field of classical music; he is the Accademia Musicale Siena Prize laureate, Economic Forum Young Global Leader and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund. In 2013, Rachlin performed alongside Zubin Mehta and the Bavarian State Orchestra at the historic Peace for Kashmir concert in Srinagar, Kashmir, the first-ever performance by a Western orchestra in that region.
Born in Lithuania, Rachlin moved to Vienna with his family at the age of 3. He studied violin with the renowned pedagogue Boris Kuschnir at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien and received private lessons from Pinchas Zukerman in New York City. Rachlin also completed his conducting studies with Mariss Jansons and Sophie Rachlin and was mentored by Daniele Gatti.
Rachlin plays a 1704 ex-Liebig Stradivarius and a 1785 Lorenzo Storioni viola, courtesy of Dkfm Angelika Prokopp Privatstiftung. His strings are sponsored by Thomastik-Infeld.
His critically acclaimed recordings have been released by Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical and Warner Classics.
2022
