Julian Steckel started to play the cello in the age of five and studied with Ulrich Voss, Gustav Rivinius, Boris Pergamenschikow, Heinrich Schiff and Antje Weithaas.

After numerous prizes with the International Lutoslawski Competition, Pablo Casals Competition, Concours Rostropovich and Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann, Julian’s solo career was launched after he won the prestigious ARD Musikwettbewerb in 2010.

Since then, he has performed as a soloist with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic.

He has worked with the conductors Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Roger Norrington, Valery Gergiev, Jakub Hrůša, Mario Venzago, Fabien Gabel, John Storgårds, Lahav Shani, Antony Hermus, Christian Zacharias and Michael Sanderling. His chamber music partners include Janine Jansen, Christian Tetzlaff, Karen Gomyo, Antje Weithaas, Renaud Capuçon, Veronika Eberle, Vilde Frang, Antoine Tamestit, Lars Vogt, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Paul Rivinius, Denis Kozhukhin, the Modigliani, Armida and Ébène quartets.

He is professor for cello at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich.

Julian plays cellos by Andrea Guarneri (Cremona, 1685) and Urs Mächler (Speyer, 2005).