VC ARTIST

VC Artist and Cellist Jonathan Swensen is the recipient of the 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant and was recently awarded joint First Prize at the 2024 Naumburg International Cello Competition. Previously he has been featured as both Musical America’s ‘New Artist of the Month’ and ‘One to Watch’ in Gramophone Magazine. Jonathan fell in love with the cello upon hearing the Elgar Concerto at the age of six, and ultimately made his concerto debut performing the work with Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música.

In September 2022, Jonathan’s debut recording, ‘Fantasia,’ on Champs Hill Records, received rave reviews on its release. Jonathan has performed with orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Mobile Symphony, and the Greenville Symphony. He made his critically acclaimed recital debuts at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater and New York’s Merkin Concert Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, the Morgan Library and Museum, and the Krannert Center.

In addition to his many solo appearances, Jonathan is a frequent performer of chamber music worldwide, appearing at the Tivoli Festival, Copenhagen Summer Festival, Chamberfest Cleveland, Krzyżowa-Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Vancouver Recital Society, La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest, and San Francisco Performances.

In 2024, Jonathan joined the Bowers Program of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He won First Prize at the 2019 Windsor International String Competition, the 2018 Khachaturian International Cello Competition, and the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Jonathan is currently an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium working with Gary Hoffman.

Jonathan is an ambassador for Jargar Strings.

Photo: Julia Severinsen

Photo: Marcus Palm