Julius Asal

Pianist Julius Asal had already performed as soloist with leading orchestras before reaching his mid-twenties. Chamber music formed another central strand of his activity after he assembled his own piano trio at fifteen.

Born February 12, 1997, in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe near Frankfurt am Main, Asal grew up in a musical household; his grandmother was the pop singer Cindy Ellis, and both parents played instruments at a high level. He began exploring the piano at three by reproducing pieces he heard, yet formal lessons did not start until he turned eight. Within a year he captured first prize together with a special award at the Mendelssohn Competition. Between 2007 and 2013 he worked with Wolfgang Hess at Dr. Hoch’s Konservatorium in Frankfurt, where he collected further distinctions before advancing to studies with Oliver Kern in the youth program at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst. In 2017 he continued his training at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin; that same year he reached the finals of the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, Italy, and claimed first prize at the European Auditions of Young Concert Artists.

Those successes opened doors to recital engagements at major venues including the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Wigmore Hall in London, Merkin Concert Hall in New York, and the Konzerthaus in Vienna. He has appeared as soloist with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie and the Brandenburger Staatsorchester, among other ensembles, and has featured regularly at summer festivals such as the Rheingau Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and the Oxford Piano Festival. Chamber music remains integral: Asal established the Arcon Trio in 2012, which earned second prize at the International Johannes Brahms Competition and performed at the Vienna Musikverein as well as in Poland. His programs often incorporate spoken commentary on the works and passages of improvisation. His first recording, Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, appeared in 2022 on the IBS Classical label and received the Melómano de Oro award; in 2024 he returned with the album Scriabin, Scarlatti on Deutsche Grammophon.