Julian Behr, born in Konstanz, studied classical guitar with Prof. Dr. Mario Sicca and lute with Robert Barto at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart. After postgraduate studies with Joachim Held at the Hamburg Conservatory, he transferred to the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where he completed his training by studying early music and lute instruments with Hopkinson Smith.
He was an early teacher of guitar, taught lute and basso continuo at the Nuremberg University of Music from 2007-2011 and established a lute class at the Berne Conservatory Music School from 2013. He was elected as professor for lute at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, starting in the autumn semester 2020.
Parallel to his work as a lutenist, Julian Behr is intensively engaged in the research and reconstruction of historical lute instruments. It is particularly important to him to incorporate the knowledge gained in instrument making into current musical practice.
His concert activities have taken him to many countries in Europe, South America and Australia. He works with well-known baroque orchestras and ensembles and has been involved in numerous opera productions as a basso continuo player (Hamburg, Berlin, Sidney, Lisbon, Bern, Basel, Lucerne, Amsterdam, Ferrara, Munich, Schwetzingen). Very close to his heart is the work with singers, both in duo formation and in small chamber music ensembles. In this form he gives concerts, among others with Ulrike Hofbauer, Franz Vitzthum and David Munderloh.
Julian Behr can be heard on numerous CD recordings. In 2016, the solo programme With Lance and Lute, with French lute music in accords nouveaux, was released on the Guild label.