Jonathan Holden was born in the town of Halifax in England. He is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London – one of Britain’s premiere music conservatories. There he studied with several notable clarinetists including celebrated recording artist Dame Thea King.

In 1999, Jonathan won first prize in the Clarinet & Saxophone Society of Great Britain Competition and later accepted an invitation to perform in the “Plus Six” chamber music festival at the Conservatoire de Paris. He was a featured performer at the Second British Clarinet Congress the following year. As a graduate student Jonathan trained under conductors such as Sir Colin Davis and Pierre Boulez, and in rehearsal with the Philharmonia and the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, he earned a master’s degree in clarinet performance and made his first professional appearance as a concert soloist. Jonathan has most recently studied with Dr. Elsa Verdehr at Michigan State University where he was winner of the 2002 Honors Competition.

In addition to his work as Principal Clarinetist of the WSSO, Jonathan is a tenured member of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and the Traverse Symphony Orchestra. He plays frequently with the Grand Rapids Symphony and has recently performed with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the Florida West Coast Symphony.

Jonathan has performed concertos at several venues including Manchester Cathedral in England and the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts in East Lansing. In 2005, he reached the semi-final round of the prestigious Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition. Jonathan is currently Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at Hope College, MI. He will perform Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the West Shore Symphony Orchestra in May, 2008.

Contact Info:
Jonathan Holden
Music Department, Hope College
Grand Rapids Symphony
Email: jholden@hope.edu