Jonathan Dormand

Cello

British cellist Jonathan Dormand, praised for his “burnished mahogany sound” (Boston Arts Fuse), is recognized internationally as a dynamic recitalist and chamber musician. A laureate of the Isang Yun International Cello Competition (2012) and recipient of a Pierre Fournier Award Major Incentive Grant (2015), he has performed across four continents in venues including London’s Wigmore Hall, Paris Philharmonie, Shanghai Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center.

Jonathan has appeared at leading festivals such as Verbier, Beare’s Premiere Music Festival (Hong Kong), Ravinia, Santa Fe, Chamber Music Northwest, Rockport, Ottawa Chamberfest, and Bravo! Vail. He has collaborated with artists including Midori, Kim Kashkashian, Ralph Kirshbaum, Wu Man, and Anne-Marie McDermott.

As an orchestral musician, Jonathan is often invited to serve as guest principal cello with leading ensembles such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, with whom he toured across Asia and South America. He has also performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and contributed to major motion picture soundtracks.

Since 2017, Jonathan has been the cellist of the Verona Quartet, hailed by The New York Times as an “outstanding ensemble… cohesive yet full of temperament.” With the Quartet, he received Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award and released acclaimed albums including Diffusion (Azica, 2021), SHATTER (Bright Shiny Things, 2023, debuting at #1 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical Chart), and Ligeti: Complete String Quartets (Dynamic, 2023).

Jonathan serves as Assistant Professor of Chamber Music at Oberlin Conservatory and Co-Artistic Director of the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (Canada). His mentors include Hannah Roberts, Laurence Lesser, Paul Katz, and Ralph Kirshbaum.