Page Title

Jonathan began playing the violin when he was seven, and by the age of eight he had already become accepted as a pupil at the Yehudi Menuhin School.

Whilst at the Menuhin School Jonathan studied the violin with Margaret Norris, Felix Andrievski, Alberto Lysy and Yehudi Menuhin. He gave many recital and concerto performances in the U.K. and in Europe, including appearances at the Windsor, Bath, Gstaad, Fontainebleau and Llandaff Festivals and three tours of the Netherlands. He continued his musical training at the Juilliard School, New York with Dorothy Delay, gaining scholarships from the Countess of Munster, Royal Society of Arts, Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, Welsh Arts and the Rotary Foundation as a Rotary International Scholar.

Between 1978 and 1983 Jonathan was a prize winner in the B.B.C. Young Musician of the Year, won first prize in the Royal Overseas League Competition, an Eastern Arts Platform and in 1984 he was one of the first chosen to be represented by the Young Concert Artists Trust management scheme. (YCAT).

Besides playing for many of the music clubs and societies throughout the U.K. Jonathan has appeared at the Bath, City of London, Brighton, Henley, Perth, Salisbury and Cheltenham Festivals, made concerto performances with the Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Guildhall String Ensemble, the Orchestra of St John's, Smith Square, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and recitals at the Wigmore Hall, St David's Hall, the Fairfield Halls, the Queen's Hall, Edinburgh and the South Bank.

In 1986 the European Parliament made awards for the Encouragement of the Arts. Jonathan was chosen as sole British representative to receive this award. To mark the occasion Jonathan was invited to give a recital in Strasbourg to celebrate the opening of the European Parliament. In 1991 Jonathan was invited by Sir Yehudi Menuhin as a guest of the then West German Government to perform with him at his 75th birthday celebrations at a televised concert in Bonn.

From 1987 to 1993 Jonathan was the Artistic Director of the B. T. Scottish Ensemble, raising the standard and standing of the Ensemble to that which it now enjoys, touring extensively in the U.K. and abroad. As a soloist/director he has made many recordings for Virgin Classics; including the complete Brandenburg Concertos, the solo concertos of Bach and some of the many Vivaldi violin concertos. He has recorded for Guild a selection of works for violin and piano and violin and voice by the twentieth century English composer Rebecca Clarke. His chamber music recordings include a disc of music by Alan Rawsthorne on ASV with the Fibonacci Sequence and with the mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirshschlager on Sony.

The Bach Brandenburg and Violin Concertos, re-released recently on Virgin Classics, were selected as "Best Recording on Modern Instruments" on Radio 3's Record Choice and in the BBC Music Magazine. Jonathan has recorded extensively for BBC Radio 3 as a soloist and chamber musician. He has had his albums featured and has broadcast live on Classic FM.