Joachim Held was born in 1963 in Hamburg. He trained with Eugen Dombois and Hopkinson Smith at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (diploma, 1988). He then studied with Jürgen Hübscher at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe (final examination, 1990). As a continuo player he worked regularly with the Berlin Philharmonic and conductors Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Claudio Abbado. Since 2007 he has taught at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, and since 2010 he has been professor of historical lute instruments at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen.

In 2006 he won the Echo Klassik award for best soloist recording of 17th- and 18th-century music, for the CD Erfreuliche Lautenlust. His recordings include Bach’s original lute works, released in 2013 on Hänssler Classic. He also recorded early works of Silvius Leopold Weiss, released in 2017 on Hänssler Classic. With soprano Bettina Pahn he recorded Telemann cantatas and fantasias, released in 2022. He also gives masterclasses.

Sources:

• https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_Held_(Lautenist)
• https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2402146