Jonathan Phillips

Jonathan Phillips is a Graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music where he studied with Sulamita Aronovsky, and as postgraduate with Alexander Kelly in London. His recital and Concerto debuts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell room London were followed by winning the National Youth Orchestra of Wales Soloist award in 1986. As a result of this he was invited to give 5 performances of the Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini one of which was televised and broadcast live on BBC2.

Jonathan’s Concerto experience is considerable, with over 100 performances including concertos by Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Chopin and Schumann. Jonathan worked with Tamas Vasary who recommended him to take part in the 1990 Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow. Since then, Jonathan has broadcast for the BBC, Russian and Italian and Swedish TV and radio, and given recitals all over the UK, Europe and former Soviet Union. Jonathan was interviewed by John Humphries and played live on Radio Four’s Today programme following a full-page feature article in the Guardian Arts Section about the preparation and performance of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto he gave in London in 2003.

Jonathan lives in the Cotswolds, is married to a professional singer and has two grown up sons. These are perhaps his proudest achievements. An introvert who has never really sought the limelight, nonetheless he has enjoyed some considerable musical successes. He has degrees in
Music and in Philosophy, a decent collection of good Bordeaux wine, a fascination with ancient Greek and Roman history, a temperamental twenty-year-old sports car and many wonderful friends. This self-effacing man’s pianistic skill has been described as:
“A Musician of real quality and Finesse” The Times
“An assured technique and great power… vigorous expressive and reflective playing. The Rachmaninoff Etudes were masterful” The Daily Telegraph
“Jonathan Phillips has, outstanding technique, sensitive musical qualities, and strong performing projection” Tamas Vasary