Julian Thompson

Cello

Chair sponsored by The Grist & Stewart Families

Hailing from Canberra, Julian is one of the most versatile cellists of his generation. For the last 14 years Julian has toured Australia and the world with the ACO, regularly performing in the world’s most prestigious concert halls and appearing on many of the ACO’s recordings.

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Julian is in much demand as a recording artist and his solo cello performances can be heard in films such as Sherpa (2015), Tanna (2015), Miracle on Everest (2008), and the Sydney Dance Company productions ab [intra] (2018) and 2 One Another (2012).

Most recently Julian recorded all of the solo cello Yidaki parts on the ground breaking Gurrumul album Djarimirri, which was the first recording in an Indigenous language to reach No. 1 on the ARIA charts and also won the Best World Music Album ARIA. In 1999 Julian won the Best World Music Album ARIA for the album Fyvie’s Embrace.

1729 Guarneri Cello

Learn about the 1729 Guarneri Cello Julian performs on, kindly donated to the ACO by Peter Weiss AO.

Discover Its Story

Julian is a Fulbright Scholar and completed a Master of Music Degree in the USA with Janos Starker and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. He also studied at the Australian National University with Lois Simpson and David Pereira and at the Australian National Academy of Music.

As the ACO’s Education Representative Julian has been deeply involved in the creation and development of the ACO’s extensive Learning & Engagement programs. Julian performs regularly with the Australian World Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and has appeared as soloist with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.