Julian Bream (1933 – 2020)
We remember with fondness and gratitude, the great Julian Bream on what would have been his 90th Birthday.
Julian Bream, guitarist and lutenist, delighted audiences with early recitals as a child prodigy. Following an official debut at Cheltenham in 1947, at the age of thirteen, he was soon acknowledged as one of the most remarkable artists of the post-war era. By his sixteenth birthday, Julian Bream had taken part in dozens of BBC broadcasts, recitals, and film music, and, furthermore, fascinated by the lute and its culture, had begun researching the Elizabethan repertoire. In November 1951, he made a triumphant debut at the Wigmore Hall, London and, some months later, his first appearance at the Aldeburgh Festival. After studies at the Royal College of Music, and National Service with the Army, Julian Bream’s career pursued its meteoric path.
One of the achievements Julian was most proud of later in life was the creation and release, in 2006, of a Gramophone Award winning film on the Avie record label called ‘My life in Music’. Another lasting legacy is the Julian Bream Trust, a charity which provides financial assistance for less privileged young and gifted students and ensures a healthy flow of new commissioned works for classical guitar.
James Brown and Lucy Rice had the privilege of managing Julian Bream in the last 20 or so years of his career.