Jonathan studied music at Cambridge, where he sang in the University Chamber Choir and studied piano with Peter Pettinger. He held choral and instrumental awards and won the Rima Alamuddin prize for piano performance.
After 10 happy years as Director of Music in Bangor Grammar School, he began a broader career in conducting, producing, writing, composing, arranging and piano accompanying. He has conducted many programmes for BBC Songs of Praise and directed the Belfast choir for Children in Need. For several years he was the Principal Examiner for A-Level Music Performance in Northern Ireland. He is the choral director for the annual Sing! conference in Nashville, for whom he has on two occasions directed choirs with 1000 participants. He now provides consultancy to a number of church-based organisations.
Jonathan is Creative Director and Chief Executive of New Irish Arts, whose choir, orchestra and youth choir perform at over 20 events per year. They have sold out Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on numerous occasions, and often have over 250 participants in their larger concerts. Jonathan is increasingly in demand as a writer and speaker, occasionally contributing to programmes like Radio 4’s Prayer for the Day and Morning Service.
In the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2020, Jonathan was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Music in Northern Ireland. He enjoys being a Federation adjudicator because he finds it immensely satisfying to play a part in helping people pursue their musical potential.