Jürgen Banholzer received valuable incentives from James David Christie in Boston, he then studied with Ludger Lohmann in Stuttgart and with Jean Boyer at the CNSM in Lyon. He went on to study singing at the Schola Cantorum in Basle and was later awarded a PhD in musicology at the University of Mainz. As an organist he has given recitals in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Poland and Switzerland. In 2021 the CD “O güldnes Licht” was issued by frabernardo, recorded on the Hus-Schnitger organ in Stade (together with the tenor Georg Poplutz). In 2022 he developed a musical-literary programme based on Johann Kuhnau‘s Biblical Sonatas (“Then you are not the god whom I created from my tears”), which he presented on several historic organs together with the actress Johanna Krumstroh. As a continuo player on harpsichord and organ he has been associated for many years with the Johann Rosenmüller Ensemble, and he has been a guest in groups like the Freiburger Barockorchester. Together with the salterio player Margit Übellacker he founded the ensemble La Gioia Armonica, which produced under his direction world-premiere recordings of hitherto unpublished works by Antonio Caldara, Johann Georg Reutter, Giambattista Martini, and Antonio Sacchini, in collaboration with the lables cpo, Ramée and with Radio Bremen. The critics commented on these CDs: “a delightful range of charming colours and intriguing textural effects” (Early Music); “brilliant interpretation” (Goldberg); “breathtakingly lovely” (BBC Music Magazine). The ensemble has since been invited to festivals like Händelfestspiele Halle, Ton Koopman‘s Itinérarie Baroque, Dordrecht Bachfestival, Tallinn Bachfestival, Timisoara Early Music Festival, Bagnacavallo Classica, Bruchsaler Schloßfestspiele or Mitteldeutsche Heinrich-Schütz-Tage. Since 2017 Jürgen Banholzer has taught at the International Summer School of Early Music in Valtice (Czech Republic). He also taught at Mainz University.
