Born in Hamburg, Justus took up the cello at the age of five. Initially studying under his father’s guidance, he soon went on to study in Saarbrücken under Ulrich Voss and Cologne under Claus Kanngiesser and Frans Helmerson. These studies were complemented by master classes with Steven Isserlis, Boris Pergamenschikow, William Pleeth and Heinrich Schiff.
Justus’s talent has been evident in numerous competitions. He won 1st Prizes at the Maria Canals International Music Competition and the German Conservatoires’ Cello Competition. He also won the Deutscher Musikrat Competition with pianist Florian Wiek.
Both as soloist and chamber musician, Justus has performed extensively across Europe. He premiered Matthias Pintscher’s cello concerto “La Metamorfosi di Narciso” with the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra and has since performed with several orchestras including the English Chamber Orchestra, La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra, Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, Brandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonie- orchester Aachen and Klassische Philharmonie Bonn. These solo appearances have taken him to prestigious venues around the world, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Musikhalle Hamburg, Kölner Philharmonie, Munich’s Herkulessaal, Brussels’ Palais des Beaux Arts and Lisbon’s Belém Cultural Center.
Justus’s impressive chamber music career has seen him perform with Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Daniel Blumenthal, Gerard Caussé, Augustin Dumay, Benôit Fromanger, Philippe Graffin, Stephen Kovacevich, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Antonio Pappano and Florian Wiek. These chamber music appearances have taken him to festivals such as the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Flanders Festival, Lisbon’s Dias da Música, Festival Florilegio Salamanca and Festival Consonances at St. Nazaire.
With pianist Florian Wiek, Justus has recorded cello sonatas by Beethoven, Brahms and Shostakovich for Ars Musici. He has also recorded works by Weber, Farrenc and Mendelssohn together with Florian Wiek and flautist Christina Fassbender. In addition to these recordings, Justus has been broadcast as a soloist on the major national radio channels across Germany, France and Belgium. He recently started collaborating with the record label Fuga Libera, and as a result, an album of Philippe Gaubert’s music was released in 2009.
In 2011 Justus will be appearing at the “Cantiere” International Festival in Montepulciano, where he has been appointed Artist in Residence.
Since 2008 Justus has been teaching at the Conservatoire of Antwerp.