22nd Dec 2024
I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be performing at Hardanger Musikkfest 2025! This incredible festival, set amidst the stunning fjords and mountains of the Hardanger region, is a celebration of music, culture, and nature. It’s an honor to bring my music to such a magical setting. Stay tuned and follow the festival’s social media channels for more details.
20th Mar 2023
I am happy to announce the release of my first studio recorded album with piano music by J.S. Bach and J. Brahms. In front of the op. 76 cycle of 8 Piano Pieces by Brahms that are rarely played in complete, the album features one of my personal favourites from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, the B-flat minor prelude and fugue from the first book. Both works, although very different in style and composing era, feature a very similar way of exposing a very intimate feeling of nostalgia and loneliness. While Bach stays within this field of feelings, Brahms takes these as a starting point to flourish into partly very contrasting character pieces that seem to me as if they contain the depth and richness of a whole lifetime.
30 January - 01 February 2026 – Norwegian Opera & Ballet, Oslo, Norway
Bass in the Opera Choir of Rameau’s ‘Les Indes Galantes’ Les Indes Galantes
17 March 2026, 6:30 PM – Universitetets Aula, Oslo, Norway
Chamber choir concert at ‘Fagerborgfestspillene’
21 & 22 May 2026, 6 PM – National Academy of the Arts, Oslo, Norway
Rodolfo in Bellini’s ‘La Sonnambula’ and Capellio in Bellini’s ‘I Capuleti e i Montecchi’ AVGANG 2026
13 June 2026, 3 PM – Gamle Raadhus Scene, Oslo, Norway
KHiO Summer Concert Ekstra Lørdagsopera
20 June 2026, 3 PM – Gamle Raadhus Scene, Oslo, Norway
Lied-Concert with Tea Ban in cooperation with Oslo Pride Ekstra Lørdagsopera
30 July - 2 August 2026 – Venabu Fjellhotell, Norway
Evening concerts at Venabu Fjellhotell
3 - 7 August 2026 – Trollhättan, Sweden
concerts with Nordic Opera Choir at Nordic Song Festival
28 - 30 August 2026 – Herning, Denmark
concerts with Nordic Opera Choir at Herning Opera Festival
29 - 31 October 2026 – Reykjavik, Iceland
concerts with Nordic Opera Choir at Reykjavik Opera Days
Archive
21 December 2025, 6 PM – Domschule, Schleswig, Germany
Solo Recital
25 October 2025, 6 PM – Grønland Boulebar, Oslo, Norway
Operapub
27 - 28 September 2025 – S’Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Participation in the Finals of International Vocal Competition in S’Hertogenbosch together with mezzo-soprano Julika Hing
14 September 2025, 6 PM – Domschule, Schleswig, Germany
Lied Concert in preparation of International Vocal Competition in S’Hertogenbosch
27 - 31 August 2025 – Hardanger, Norway
Multiple performances as pianist and singer during Hardanger Musikkfest
21 August 2025, 7 PM – Akershus Slottskirke, Oslo, Norway
Concert at Oslo Kammermusikkfestivalen
6 - 8 August 2025 – Venabu Fjellhotell, Norway
Evening concerts at Venabu Fjellhotell
1 - 6 July 2025 – Troldhaugen, Norway
Pianist of the week at Edvard Grieg Museum Troldhaugen (Bergen)
16 June 2025, 6 PM – Steinway Piano Gallery, Oslo, Norway
Lied Concert with mezzo-soprano Julika Hing
05 June 2025, 8 PM – Lindemansalen NMH, Oslo, Norway
Piano master degree exam concert
28 May 2025, 1 PM – Musikkonservatoriet, Tromsø, Norway
Sangeksamen
20 May 2025, 6 PM – Steinway Piano Gallery, Oslo, Norway
Concert with the song interpretation class of Matti Hirvonen
10 May 2025, 4 PM – Sandvoldsalen, NMH, Oslo, Norway
Chopin Nocturnes with NMH’s pianists
8 May 2025, 6 PM – Sagene Kirke, Oslo, Norway
Chopin Nocturnes with NMH’s pianists
6 May 2025, 1 PM – Sagene Kirke, Oslo, Norway
Scriabin Sonatas at opening of Hollenbachfestivalen
30 April 2025, 6 PM – Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo, Norway
Galaconcert arranged by Queen Sonja singing competition
25 April 2025, 7 PM – Rødbanken Festsal, Tromsø, Norway
Operakafé
10 April 2025, 7 PM – Levinsalen NMH, Oslo, Norway
Grieg’s Slåtter – concert with Håvard Gimse’s piano students at NMH
27 March 2025, 6 PM – Levinsalen NMH, Oslo, Norway
Master Recital - Nostalgia through the times
22 March 2025, 12 AM – Sagene Kirke, Oslo, Norway
Master Recital - Nostalgia through the times
26 January 2025, 3 PM – Levinsalen NMH, Oslo, Norway
Closing concert of NMH pianists’ concert tour
06 August 2024 – Venabu Fjellhotell, Norway
solo piano recital
20 July 2024, 7 PM – Gasteig Munich, Germany
piano soloist at “vokalSinn” Choir Festival
03 June 2024 – Musikkonservatoriet Tromsø, Norway
Singing exam concert
11 May 2024 – Sagene kirke, Oslo, Norway
Schubert Complete Piano Sonatas marathon concert together with NMH pianists
10 May 2024 – Lindemansalen NMH, Oslo, Norway
Concert in cooperation with the Polish embassy
03 May 2024 – Levinsalen NMH, Oslo, Norway
Schuberts Complete Piano Sonatas concert together with NMH pianists
16 April 2024 – Lahti, Finland
Concert as part of the ERASMUS funded BAIL project
22-28 January 2024 – Lillesand/Kristiansand, Norway
Concert Tour with NMH pianists
The pianist and bass, born in 2001 in Schleswig, Northern Germany, began his varied musical education
in his early childhood. After initially learning the basics of the piano on his own as well as singing in church choirs
and playing the violin and viola, he began his piano education at the age of 10 with the Irish-German pianist
Kevin McKenna.
It was precisely this self-taught method that gave him an extremely natural and personal approach to music right
from the start.
This was followed by numerous concert appearances (also in cooperation with the state theater of Schleswig-Holstein)
and prizes at competitions (including the national Jugend musiziert competition).
After graduating from high school, he began his studies for an artistic piano bachelor’s degree at the University of Music in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2019 with Prof. Kalle Randalu, which he completed with distinction in 2023. In 2022, Julius von Forstner enthusiastically completed an ERASMUS exchange semester at the Arctic University of Tromsø, Norway, with Prof. Sergej Osadchuk. He also received further important impulses from Heike Allardt, Andrej Jussow, Vadim Palmov, Matti Hirvonen, Anne Sophie von Otter, at the Mattheiser Summer Academy, the Nordland Chamber Music Course and from Prof. Christopher Park during the Voksenåsen Summer Academy. Other important masterclasses included: David Gowland, Annette Weber, Anthony Almeida and Toby Spence.
In addition to chamber music, song interpretation and contemporary music, his studies at the Karlsruhe University of Music also sparked a great interest in classical singing. In 2023, Julius von Forstner therefore began his classical singing studies with Prof. Holger Speck as a bass and has already built up a broad repertoire of songs as well as oratorio and opera arias. The combination of piano and singing offers him ideally complementary skills that greatly enrich him as a musician.
In the fall of 2023, Julius von Forstner moved to Oslo, Norway, also because of his great enthusiasm for the country and its culture. At the Norwegian Academy of Music, he began his master studies in performing arts with Prof. Håvard Gimse. At the same time, he is continuing his vocal studies at the Arctic University in Tromsø with Prof. Anne-Lise Sollied and Prof. Carlo Allemano. For the season 2024/2025 Julius von Forstner got invited to the Queen Sonja Opera Academy.
After graduating from his master studies in piano, he started a study in opera at the Opera Academy in Oslo (KHiO) from fall 2025. Here he got to sing the roles Nardo (La Finta giardiniera), Rodolfo (La Sonnambula) as well as Capellio (I capuleti e i Montecchi). He is already a sought-after musician performing at e.g. ‘Festspillene i Bergen’, ‘Hardanger Musikkfest’, ‘Oslo Kammermusikkfestival’ and Edvard Grieg museum as ‘Pianist of the Week’. In September 2025, as a Lied-Duo together with mezzo-soprano Julika Hing, he stood in the Final of the International Vocal Competition in Den Bosch, Netherlands, in the category ‘Theatre in Song’. For the season 2026, Julius will be part of the ‘Nordic Opera Choir’ with concerts all over Scandinavia.
You are welcome to write me a message. I am very interested in concert requests of any kind, both as a pianist and as a singer!
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