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Jonathan earned his Bachelors of Music from Belmont University in 2015, his Masters of Music from Ithaca College in 2019, and finished his PhD in Composition at the University at Buffalo (August 2025). His music is stylistically diverse, rhythmically complex, occasionally quirky or idiosyncratic, and often narrative in form.
Jonathan grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He spent his time doing math, reading, playing as many sports as possible, and acting in musical theater. Eventually he began musical study by playing euphonium in the school wind band. After turning down a few athletics scholarships he accepted a Presidential Scholarship to Belmont University. There he studied both “classical” and “commercial” music simultaneously, interned with producer Tony Stone and composer / publisher / polymath Rick Sowash, learned jazz trombone and live audio, and determined he needed to mix the classical and vernacular in his music.
Personal crisis led to a newfound drive to make music his career. Knowing he needed more seasoning, Jonathan continued his education at Ithaca College, focusing on composition with additional work in theory. Study at IC focused on composition, music theory, and pedagogy. Opportunities to assist with music theory courses, composition department administration, and assist with a rock styles course stoked a desire to teach at the college level. Two opportunities to work with student ensembles yielded the wind band piece Light Shines in the Darkness and the choral Haiku I. Chirite nochi which earned first place in the Ithaca chapter of the American Choral Director’s Association Composition Competition. While at IC Jonathan also had his first orchestral premiere (Symphony for Post-Moderns, orchestral composition contest winner) and earned honorable mention in the 2019 Society for New Music’s composition competition for the Israel/Pellman Prize (String Quartet No. 1, “Imaginarium”).
Jonathan has studied with Tiffany Skidmore, David Felder, Jonathan Golove, William “Bill” Pursell, Rick Sowash, Mark Volker, David McKay, Evis Sammoutis, Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann, and Robert Carl. Masterclass teachers include Augusta Read Thomas, Christopher Trapani, Alexander Rutty, Zae Munn, Michael Fiday, Mary Ellen Childs, Matt Sargent, Richard H.P. Platz, Chinary Ung, Stefano Gervasoni, Lei Liang, and many others (seriously, there's lots more). His works have been performed in the United States and Spain. He currently resides in Missouri with his wife, daughter, son, a large, mopey hound dog and two very fluffy cats.
Currently his focus is music for small groups, either of the same or similar instruments or works for . Since April of 2022 he has finished a trio for trombones for an Eisteddfod celebration in Australia; Elegy No. 3 (for Ray Miller) for piano quartet (premiere at June in Buffalo, June 2022); a horn quintet; and his first work for solo violin, To Reach for Heaven (premiere May 2022, Tyler Adamthwaite; second performance June in Buffalo 2024, Shannon Reilly). He is currently finishing the live version of his dissertation piece, Meeting Place, for saxophone and electronics. Distracting him is a monodrama for double bass and mezzo soprano (Generations); a series of works exploring algorithms, isorhythm, and a contemporary 'process music' approach to the etude; a work for string quintet (string quartet + cello); a piece for young string orchestra to introduce extended techniques (Mouse in the House!); a trumpet trio in homage to David Lang; Elegy No. 4, for solo cello; an epithalamion, title TBD (alto sax, violin, acoustic guitar, double bass); and a series of miniatures for flute. Jonathan is actively looking for ensembles to perform works for middle school, high school, or collegiate concert band, or soloists to perform electroacoustic works.The following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total.
