... started playing the piano when he was just four years old. Growing up in a musical home environment, his early fascination with the piano led his parents to buy an old upright instrument on which Julian began experimenting. It was quickly realised that he possessed a quite remarkable ear where at the age of five he had already worked out many songs and themes from television and radio programmes with complete harmonies and textures. He was signed up for piano lessons with Eve Weinberg shortly after his seventh birthday. His progress was so rapid that just three years later he gave his London debut at Citadel Hall, Oxford Street where he performed Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata, Chopin Mazurkas, Rachmaninov's C sharp minor Prelude and his own transcription of Bach's Organ Toccata in D minor (which he had worked out by ear from an old recording of Albert Schweitzer).

By the age of thirteen, Julian became a student of Professor Guy Jonson of the Royal Academy of Music. Cautious of early public exposure the next couple of years were spent on technique resulting in high distinctions in his final exams. In 1988 at the age of eighteen, Julian participated in the London Music Festival and achieved first place in the Liszt Competition and was runner-up in the Frank Britton Memorial Competition. He was later presented with the Lillian Ada Hughes Memorial Prize and the Dome Clayton Award. In September of that year, he commenced his studies at the Royal College of Music, London with Phyllis Sellick and John Blakely (accompaniment). He won the first year undergraduate piano prize and the Margot Hamilton Prize the following year. Ms Hamilton personally invited Julian down to her beautiful Sussex home to give a private recital for invited guests.

He was third place winner in the Cyril Smith Concerto Competition (Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - Rachmaninov), the Frank Merrick Award for British Contemporary Music (Sorabji). Julian won a special prize for his Finals recital for his interpretation of Liszt's B minor Sonata, an award which saw him graduate with a First in the summer of 1992.

Julian became known for his extraordinary diversity of repertoire both as soloist and chamber musician. In 1990, he gave an historic performance of the first two movements of Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum*, a performance he was to later to repeat along with other works by Sorabji at London's British Music Information Centre. Also in 1990 Julian gave the premiere of Neil Crossland's Piano Suite (1988) and also partnered Karl Lutchmayer in the rarely heard two-piano version of Busoni's Fantasia Contrappuntistica*. In 1989, he won first prize and the Duke of Devonshire Award at the Eastbourne Concerto Competition which was shortly followed by his highly successful debut with the Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra, playing Dohnanyi's Variations on a Nursery Song. He later performed Mozart's Piano Concerto No.23 with the same orchestra. In 1991, Julian enjoyed further competition success in winning overall second place in the Robert William and Florence Amy Brant Piano Competition in Birmingham.

In 1992 Julian married Nottingham-born pianist Nichola Pearce and together they founded the Saphir Piano School which today is probably one of the biggest practices of its kind in the north of England. Julian Saphir and Nichola Pearce formed their piano duo in 1993.

In 1995, Julian was forced to withdraw from the concert platform due to personal circumstances only giving occasional concerts whenever it was possible. In 1998, he began to re-emerge on the scene with some stunning recitals including more performances of Sorabji and his monumental interpretation of the Liszt Sonata.

With his reputation as a teacher Julian is committed to bringing music to young people, and was invited to accept the title of Visiting Artist to West Buckland School, Devon in 1998 and gave a lecture and two recitals there to great critical acclaim.

In 2000, he formed another duo with baritone Christopher Gulley and recent performances have included Finzi's "Let Us Garlands Bring" at York Minster and "Songs of Travel" by Vaughan Williams performed at SASRA Music Society, Cumbria. Julian performed at the 2001 and 2002 Northern Aldborough Festivals and the 2003 Nidderdale Festival.

In 2004, Julian recorded his debut CD on the Artopian label of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. In June 2005 he performed the complete Preludes of Rachmaninov in London to critical acclaim and the following month was Artistic Director of and performer in the inaugural Master Musicians concert series at Harewood House Estate, Leeds. The festival played host to a prestigious Shigeru Kawai concert grand piano, the only one in the UK which has led to an exciting collaboration between Julian and Kawai Pianos. His playing has been acknowledged by Hirotaka Kawai himself in Japan. Kawai pianos have invited Julian to endorse the Shigeru piano and he now appears on posters all over Europe, Australia and Japan! In November 2006, Julian is to play Prokofiev's 3rd Concerto with the Harrogate Symphony Orchestra on the Shigeru Kawai which will be provided especially for his performance

*Recording available