JONATHAN WARE, piano

Born in Texas, Jonathan Ware studied at the Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, and with Wolfram Rieger at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’. In 2011 he won the prestigious Pianist’s Prize at the Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Song Competition, and in 2013 at Das Lied Competition in Berlin. He was selected for representation by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2014 and now divides his time between the UK and Berlin.

Sought after as a chamber musician and song accompanist, Jonathan’s recent engagements include recitals at the Alice Tully Hall, Wigmore Hall, Carnegie’s Weill Hall as part of Marilyn Horne’s The Song Continues programme, Lincoln Center with cellist Michael Katz, Ravinia Festival and The Phillips Collection Washington DC. He also undertook a North American tour with mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught, and gave performances of Die Schöne Müllerin with baritone Benjamin Appl at the Französischer Dom Berlin and Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch at the Rheingau Festival. 

Passionate about the song repertory, during the 2012/13 season Jonathan was Co-Artistic Director of a year-long festival devoted to the performance of the complete Schubert Lieder in New York. He has been a member of the accompanying staff of the Steans Institute at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival and the coaching staff of the Internationale Meistersinger Akademie in Neumarkt Germany, and is a Samling Scholar. He has also worked as a répétiteur with Juilliard Opera and New York City Opera.

Engagements this season include a performance of Les Illuminations with Suzanne Fischer at the Berlin Midsummer Festival, a Liederabend at La Roche, Switzerland, return visits to the Samling Academy and Meistersinger Akademie in Neumarkt  Germany, and recitals at the Purcell Room, Wiltshire Music Centre, Saffron Hall and The Sage Gateshead. He collaborates with instrumentalists Peter Moore (trombone) and Benjamin Baker (violin), and singers Tara Erraught, Benjamin Appl, Michael Kelly, Anna Huntley and Deanna Breiwick, among others.

As a soloist Jonathan has given concerts in Dallas, New York, Washington DC, Miami and Hammamatsu in Japan. He won the Grand Prize at the 2005 Kingsville International Competition and was a medalist in the 2002 Missouri Southern, and New York International Piano Competitions. His performances have been broadcast on WQXR (New York), WFMT (Chicago), WRR (Dallas), Bavarian Radio, and on US public television.