Biography
Pianist Julia Den Boer has earned recognition through her interpretations of contemporary repertoire, collaborating with prominent composers such as Kaija Saariaho. Her programs frequently feature pieces that expand conventional notions of pianistic technique.
Born in Lyon, France, in 1984, Den Boer first encountered the instrument through her father’s playing, which sparked her interest. She began formal training at the regional conservatory in Lyon under Hervé Billaut. Although she initially pursued both piano and history, she ultimately committed to music and relocated to the United States, enrolling at Lawrence University in Wisconsin to study with Michael Kim and Emma Tahmizian. She completed a bachelor’s degree at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, where Sara Laimon served as her principal teacher and where she performed with the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble and the McGill Percussion Ensemble. She then pursued master’s and doctoral studies at the State University of Stony Brook in New York with Gilbert Kalish. Den Boer has since made New York City her home, teaching at the Third Street Music Settlement and the Bloomingdale School of Music while also maintaining a private studio.
Her early career received support from several awards, among them the Solti Foundation award, the Prix Maurice Ohana at the 2012 International Orléans Competition in France, and a Mikhashoff Trust Fund for New Music prize for pianist/composer commissioning shared with composer Zosha Di Castri; the latter collaboration led to her recording debut in 2019 on Di Castri’s Tachitipo. She appears regularly at festivals devoted to new music, such as the Festival d’Automne in Paris, the Time:Spans Festival in New York, and Unerhörte Musik in Berlin. Broadcasts of her performances have aired on CBC Radio 2, Germany’s SWR, France Musique, and additional regional and national stations. Beyond Saariaho, the contemporary composers with whom she has collaborated include Heinz Holliger, Philippe Leroux, and Martin Matalon. In 2021 Den Boer released her first solo album, Kermès, on the New Focus Recordings label. She was also scheduled to perform with the percussion-and-piano quartet Yarn/Wire during the 2021-2022 season.
Born in Lyon, France, in 1984, Den Boer first encountered the instrument through her father’s playing, which sparked her interest. She began formal training at the regional conservatory in Lyon under Hervé Billaut. Although she initially pursued both piano and history, she ultimately committed to music and relocated to the United States, enrolling at Lawrence University in Wisconsin to study with Michael Kim and Emma Tahmizian. She completed a bachelor’s degree at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, where Sara Laimon served as her principal teacher and where she performed with the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble and the McGill Percussion Ensemble. She then pursued master’s and doctoral studies at the State University of Stony Brook in New York with Gilbert Kalish. Den Boer has since made New York City her home, teaching at the Third Street Music Settlement and the Bloomingdale School of Music while also maintaining a private studio.
Her early career received support from several awards, among them the Solti Foundation award, the Prix Maurice Ohana at the 2012 International Orléans Competition in France, and a Mikhashoff Trust Fund for New Music prize for pianist/composer commissioning shared with composer Zosha Di Castri; the latter collaboration led to her recording debut in 2019 on Di Castri’s Tachitipo. She appears regularly at festivals devoted to new music, such as the Festival d’Automne in Paris, the Time:Spans Festival in New York, and Unerhörte Musik in Berlin. Broadcasts of her performances have aired on CBC Radio 2, Germany’s SWR, France Musique, and additional regional and national stations. Beyond Saariaho, the contemporary composers with whom she has collaborated include Heinz Holliger, Philippe Leroux, and Martin Matalon. In 2021 Den Boer released her first solo album, Kermès, on the New Focus Recordings label. She was also scheduled to perform with the percussion-and-piano quartet Yarn/Wire during the 2021-2022 season.
Albums
