Julien Martineau, FRANCE – DB63

Julien Martineau is a classical mandolin virtuoso from France that performs as a soloist in the world’s leading concert halls and festivals.

Julien Martineau is one of the few mandolin players in Europe to lead a concert career. From the age of 16 and after studying music at the Conservatoires of Argenteuil and Rueil-Malmaison, he began to give several private concerts at the Opéra de Paris with the pianist Alexandre Tharaud.

As a student at the Lycée Condorcet in Paris, Julien Martineau discovered a fascinating musical world that led him to choose a musical  career over one of science. From then on he began to explore the repertoire for the mandolin, perfected his instrument with the top makers, and developed a new set of strings with Savarez, all while continuing his musicology studies at the Sorbonne and at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse (CNSM) in Paris. In 1998, at the age of 19, he won the Giuseppe Anedda Prize at the Varazze International Mandolin Competition in Italy, judged by Ugo Orlandi, and in 2002 he obtained his Master of Music from the Sorbonne in Paris.

Julien Martineau’s musical attributes, which are far removed from any possible clichés relating to the mandolin, make him sought-after by many renowned fellow musicians. With Bertrand Chamayou, he has created a programme of sonatas for mandolin and piano dating from the 18th century to the present day. Meanwhile he has collaborated with Jean-François Zygel on several concerts. He also accompanies singers including Natalie Dessay, Thomas Hampson, Ludovic Tézier, Florian Sempey and Laurent Naouri.

Julien Martineau performs as a soloist in the world’s leading concert halls and festivals, including: Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and the Sorbonne in Paris; Grand Théâtre d’Aix-en-Provence; Halle aux Grains in Toulouse; Victoria Hall and the Grand Théâtre in Geneva; Festival de Besançon; and Music Atlantico in the Azores. In 2013 he recorded the complete Preludes by Raffaele Calace for solo mandolin, which are considered on a par with Paganini’s Caprices for the violin. At the same time, the French Institute organised a tour for him of 15 concerts across 11 African countries.

In November 2014, the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse invited Martineau to perform the Vivaldi Concertos, conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini. It is with this same orchestra that in 2016 Martineau presents the Mandolin Concerto by Karol Beffa.

Julien Martineau has been a Professor at the Conservatoire de Toulouse since 2005 and, in 2013, the Academie des Arts, Lettres et Sciences in Languedoc honoured him with the Déodat de Séverac Prize.

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