Jonathan was born in 1984 near Durham. He graduated from the Royal College of Music (RCM) with a Masters ‘Distinction’ in July 2009, and before that, with a first class Honours degree. He is now establishing himself as an up-and-coming solo, chamber and orchestral musician, having recently given concerts in the Royal Festival Hall, Purcell Room, St. Martin in the Fields and St. John’s, Smith Square. He has been described by the late renowned clarinettist, Dame Thea King, as ‘a complete artist in the making.’
As a soloist, Jonathan has given countless recitals, both in London, and at various concert societies around the UK, with his duo pianist, Sebastian Stanley. In summer 2008, he won 2nd prize in the prestigious Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition (TWIYCA), and he has also been selected as a finalist in the Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition. Last summer he won the Royal College of Music ‘Clarinet Prize’, and before that he had twice won the woodwind section of the Royal College of Music Concerto Competition. Jonathan made his concerto debut playing the Finzi Clarinet Concerto with the University of Cambridge, and has since given several sold-out performances of the Mozart Concerto with the Orpheus Sinfonia. Jonathan is passionate about chamber music and has appeared in festivals throughout the UK, including those in Monmouth and Chipping Campden.
In 2007, he was invited to perform in the Tunnell Trust’s Strathgarry Chamber Music Showcase. Whilst a founding member of several of his own London-based ensembles, he has also given concerts with the renowned Fibonacci Sequence and with the Pavao String Quartet. As an orchestral musician, Jonathan has played principal clarinet in orchestras conducted by Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Sir Roger Norrington, amongst others. While still a student, he was offered his first orchestral trial, as Principal Clarinet of the Northern Sinfonia. Before that, he worked alongside the London Philharmonic Orchestra, having won a place onto their highly competitive ‘Future Firsts’ apprentice scheme for the 2007-8 season, and during which time he appeared in a sold-out Purcell Room concert with the Future Firsts ensemble. He currently holds the position of co-principal clarinet with the Southbank Sinfonia.
Jonathan was awarded both the Wilkins-Mackerras scholarship and a HR Taylor Trust scholarship to continue his studies at the Royal College of Music. He also received awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Craxton Memorial Trust, and the Musicians Benevolent Fund. His teachers are George MacDonald, Richard Hosford and Robert Hill, and he is passionate about keeping the English clarinet tradition alive.
