When world famous musician Julian Lloyd Webber suffered a herniated disc in his neck, reducing the power to his bowing arm, he was faced with the devastating reality of ending his renowned performance career.

The 63-year-old brother of celebrated composer Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to retire from playing the cello in 2014 – but has chosen to use his life-changing circumstances for positive projects.

“I had to stop, it was a difficult decision,” says the father-of-two, who will speak candidly about his life in a live interview next month titled Julian Lloyd Webber In Conversation with Russell Davies at the London Jewish Cultural Centre in Golders Green.

The former Hampstead schoolboy continues: “I could have gone on playing gentle, slow pieces forever, but that’s not the kind of musician I am. My repertoire was very restricted, so I didn’t want to do that.

“I’m a very positive person, after what happened I’m looking for new things. I have to say that those things I’m doing now I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was still playing all over the place.”

Julian is now busy conducting a new album entitled And the Bridge is Love: English Music for Strings featuring music from his favourite string composers, including Elgar and Vaughan Williams. And for the first time, he is involved in the production side of creating a record, which he says has been a bizarre experience.

He explains: “I was the other side of the glass, there was this massive orchestra there and for once I’m not that side, I was actually in the control room.”

To add to his already jam-packed schedule, he is preparing to embark on a UK tour – An Evening with Julian Lloyd Webber, which opens on February 22. Although this time he will be without his instrument, the show will take audiences on a historical and musical journey through his vibrant career with video clips from past performances.

He will be accompanied by his wife and fellow cellist Jiaxin Lloyd Webber, and pianist Pam Chowhan, who will perform powerful pieces including Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata, Faure’s Elegy and Julian’s brother’s work The Music of the Night.

Julian is keen to interact with his fans.

“I think musicians shouldn’t keep themselves away from the public,” says Julian, who began playing the cello aged four. “Especially now, we are in a different kind of world and I think people want to know what’s going on and the stories that you have to tell.

“Russell is a terrific interviewer. He’s the kind of person you have got to be wary of actually. He’s a bit like David Frost, he seems like a cosy chap and then of course you let slip more than you have been intending to perhaps. But that’s good, it’s always good for the audience.”

During the evening with Russell, Julian will speak about his dedication to music education in the UK. He is involved in the government scheme, In Harmony, which aims to enable all school pupils to learn a musical instrument for at least one term. The project provides instrumental training to youngsters from deprived backgrounds across the country and teaches them to work in orchestras.

He says: “It’s changing lives. I have seen it in action and it’s having a wonderful effect on the whole community. When you bring a lot of children together and they are working as a team, that’s very important. You’re contributing to something that’s bigger than you as an individual and I think that’s the glue behind the whole thing.”

As someone who grew up surrounded by musical influences as a child – Julian’s father was a professional organist and his mother was a piano teacher – he has a firm belief in the positive influence music can have on people.

“Music is an incredibly powerful thing,” says the performer, who trained during his early career with award-winning cellist Pierre Fournier in Geneva. “It’s something that speaks directly – it doesn’t have barriers of class, race or language, it’s something that connects people together and I think that’s why it is so effective.

“I don’t know how my life would have been without music, I can’t image it.”

London Jewish Cultural Centre, Ivy House, North End Road, Golders Green, Thursday, March 12, 8pm. Details: 020 8457 5000, ljcc.org.uk