Julius Zeman (Austria)
"Without a doubt a Bösendorfer is the embodiment of finest piano-making craftsmanship, but to me it is much more than that: it is a companion through the entire spectrum of human emotions and a piece of home, where I can let my mind wander. I am very happy and thankful to be part of the wonderful Bösendorfer Family."
Julius Zeman, born in 1998 in Vienna, completed his studies in conducting, piano, and organ at the Mozarteum University Salzburg with distinction.
In the near future, his engagements as a conductor will take him, among others, to the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra Sinfónica do Porto, the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, and the Tyrolean Festival Erl.
From 2023 to 2026, Julius Zeman was engaged at the Saarländisches Staatstheater, where he conducted a wide-ranging music theatre repertoire: from Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio and Verdi’s Aida to Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Kálmán’s Duchess of Chicago. The premiere of Holst’s Savitri and Schoenberg’s Erwartung, conducted by him, attracted great attention from audiences and critics alike (FAZ: “A modern operatic highlight!”). With Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Julius Zeman appeared as a guest at Bern Opera, and with the musical Fiddler on the Roof he was seen at the Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg and the Theater im Pfalzbau.
From the very beginning of his musical career, he has been deeply committed to creating innovative and conceptually coherent programs, as well as to communicating music to audiences. Through lecture concerts, Julius Zeman repeatedly seeks close contact with listeners, opening up new spaces for encounter, shared experience, and the discovery of great music. He also regularly performs as a song accompanist and chamber musician with distinguished artists. For example, he appeared at Salzburg’s Mozart Week with violinist Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, performing on Mozart’s original fortepiano.
Together with Shun Oi, he recorded— for the first time worldwide—Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 in its original version for two pianos, released by the label ARS Produktion and recorded at the Bösendorfer piano manufactory in Wiener Neustadt.
Alongside his studies, Julius Zeman worked as an assistant conductor to Leo Hussain at the Theater an der Wien (where he also served as répétiteur), and to Leopold Hager, with whom he also collaborated closely as a harpsichordist, organist, and pianist.
His essays on cultural studies and music analysis have been published in the Freiburger Universitätsblätter and Der Literarische Zaunkönig.
Julius Zeman is a Bösendorfer Artist.