Jonathan Jones is known as "a passionate and virtuosic musician, responsible for all-out playing," (The Dallas Morning News, Cantrell). A Dallas native, Jonathan grew up in Duncanville, TX and attended Southern Methodist University to study clarinet under master teacher Paul Garner of the Dallas Symphony. Jonathan holds positions as Principal Clarinet for the Dallas Chamber Symphony as well as the Las Colinas Symphony and plays regularly with the Fort Worth Symphony and Dallas Opera.
An accomplished competitor, Jonathan was awarded the Prestigious Gold Medal from the President of Italy along with the Grand Prize at the International Music Competition Citta di Valentino in Castellaneta, Italy. State side, in Colorado, he was the first clarinetist in 52 years to win the Grand Prize at the Fort Collins Symphony International Artist Competition!
An innovative clarinet soloist, Jonathan made his mark being featured as Orpheus in Ricky Ian Gordon's stage work: Orpheus and Euridice. As a complete performer, playing 70 minutes from memory while acting and even dancing, he has been featured on stage at the Fort Worth Opera, Birmingham Opera, Dallas Voices of Change, Santa Fe New Music and European Premiere in Italy.
A classically trained virtuoso with a wide musical taste, Jonathan has found a niche applying his limitless technique and malleable tone to any genre with creative improvisation solos where his ultimate musicianship is expressed. He has toured the globe playing all kinds of music on clarinet and a plethora of other specialty instruments like the Sumatran saranaui, Chinese hulusi and the slide didgeridoo. Jonathan has performed at prominent world music festivals in China, Sumatra, Bali and Java as well as appearances in popular jazz festivals in Italy such as the Jazz in Campo Festival in Campo di Pietra, Molise. In 2018, Jonathan was featured as a soloist with the Taipei Chinese Orchestra in Taiwan. He has performed with artists such as Peter Gabriel, Idina Menzel, Balawan, Mohsen Namjoo, Mike Block and Poovalur Sriji as well as with Ehsan Matoori in their world music group Horoscope.
He does not stop there as Jonathan is an avid music producer, composer and DJ known as Jon Jonez. He has made appearances throughout the states as well as Sumatra and Italy showcasing his ability to DJ while playing clarinet, saxophone or his Electronic Wind Instrument. His projects includes Apollos Flight, Electronic Instrument/DJ Duo with Marek Eneti, and Drum N Wind, Electro/Acoustic duo with Jamal Mohamed.
Jonathan is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
