Musical director

Julian Wilkins pursues a successful freelance career as conductor, organist and pianist, working throughout the UK and overseas with prestigious musical organisations including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Birmingham Opera Company, Birmingham Conservatoire, Association of British Choral Directors and Sing Up - the Music Manifesto's National Singing Programme. For Sing Up, he is currently directing their largest project to encourage boys to keep singing at secondary school, leading workshops with over 400 boys in school years 7 to 11 in Birmingham and surrounding areas on a monthly basis, culminating in performances at Symphony Hall in July 2009.

Educated at Wells Cathedral School as a chorister and specialist musician, and St Catharine's College, Cambridge as an organ scholar, Julian has performed in many of the world's cathedrals and leading concert venues as a soloist and accompanist, including engagements with Crispian Steele-Perkins, Steven Isserlis, Keel Watson and the dynamic percussionist Simone Rebello. He has appeared on BBC and Independent television and radio, and on the film soundtrack The Last Temptation of Christ - part of which can be heard in the TV advertising campaign for Cancer Research UK.

Previous appointments include: Head of Music at Coleridge Community College, Cambridge; Assistant Organist and Director of Music at Great St Mary's, The University Church, Cambridge; and Assistant Director of Cantate Youth Choir (Sainsbury's Children's Choir of the Year 2000); specialist music-coaching at Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge; and running a private teaching practice.

Julian is currently the Music Director of the award-winning Cambridge Chorale, the CBSO Boys' Choir, Cambridge Primary Schools' Singing Network, and the newly-formed Phoenix Chorale - the youth choir for Cambridgeshire. He is the Assistant Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus - working with Simon Halsey and David Lawrence to prepare the chorus for conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Sakari Oramo, Gianandrea Noseda, Martyn Brabbins, Peter Schreier, James MacMillan, Jac van Steen and Sir Charles Mackerras. In addition, he is the Vocal Coach for the City of Birmingham Choir conducted by Adrian Lucas, and is Music Assistant for the Birmingham Music Service's newly-formed Central Choir. As a member of the teaching faculty at Canford Summer School of Music, he directs the Choral Course, and with David Lawrence co-directs the Art of Choral Direction Course.

He is in demand as a recitalist, accompanist and choral workshop leader, popular with musicians and audiences of all ages, and has adjudicated for the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition.