Musicians

Jonathan Gandelsman’s musical voice reflects the artistic collaborations he has been a part of since moving to the US twelve years ago. Through his work with such artists as Kayhan Kalhor, Yo-Yo Ma, Bono, Christina Courtin, Osvaldo Golijov, James Levine, Mark Morris, Alim and Fergana Qasimov, Nigel Kennedy, Kenny Garrett and Jenny Scheinman, Gandelsman has been able to integrate a wide range of creative sensibilities into his own unique point of view. Although Johnny has been performing as a soloist since he was a child, he discovered his true love for music through lifelong friendships that were formed at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he was a student. From 1997 to 2001, Johnny was the concertmaster of Wild Ginger Philharmonic, a groundbreaking orchestra founded by his classmate and conductor David Goodman. Today, Johnny plays in the string quartet ‘Brooklyn Rider’ (http://www.Brooklynrider.com) together with Nicholas Cords, Colin Jacobsen and Eric Jacobsen; all former members of Wild Ginger. All of them are also members of The Knights, a young orchestra started by the Jacobsen brothers, an indirect outcome of their shared experience in Wild Ginger.

The forming of Brooklyn Rider is a result of a long standing musical relationship between four like-minded musicians and friends. One of the goals for the group is to broaden the role of a string quartet in today’s world through dynamic programming and performances in unconventional spaces. In June 2008, Brooklyn Rider released their first album, a self-produced cd entitled “Passport”. A calling card of sorts, the album represents the group’s diverse musical interests and loves. It features music by Vartaped Komitas, Osvaldo Golijov, Ljova and quartet’s own-Colin Jacobsen. “Passport” is released on “In a Circle Records”- a label founded by Jonathan. Brooklyn Rider’s second album-“Silent City”, is due to be released in September of 2008 on World Village. The album is an outgrowth of a close friendship and musical collaboration between the quartet and a Persian master kemancheh player, Kayhan Kalhor. The third album of the group is a complete recording of Philip Glass’ string quartets. It is due out in December 08 on Orange Mountain Music.

In 2002, Johnny was invited by Yo-Yo Ma to join his ‘Silk Road Ensemble’. This has allowed him to work closely with great masters of musical traditions from the ancient trading route. Johnny has played a vital role in the ensemble’s exploration of the music of the Roma people, as well as the group’s modern adaptation of an Azeri opera based on the timeless story of Leili and Majnun. As a member of the Silk Road Ensemble, Johnny has performed all over the US, as well as in France, Switzerland, Japan, China, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Azerbaijan, Israel and Egypt.

A prize-winner at the Kreisler and Menuhin competitions, Johnny has performed as a soloist with such orchestras as NY and Israel Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Albany Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Deutsche Opera, Orchestra di Maggio di Fiorentina, Orchestra de Padova e del Veneto, Polish Radio Orchestra and Jerusalem Symphony. He’s worked with such esteemed conductors as David Zinman, Zubin Mehta, Yehudi Menuhin, Schlomo Mintz, Daniel Oren, David Allan Miller, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, David Shillon, Paolo Olmi, Aldo Ceccata, Leopold Hager and Tadeusz Strugala. Johnny’s recital performances took him to the Verbier Festival, Cuernavaca Festival, the Radio Festival in Montpellier and the Istanbul Festival, as well as London, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Hague, Sao Paolo, New York and Philadelphia, to name but a few.

In pursuit of a strong desire to break down barriers between artists and their audiences, in 2003 Johnny, along with Max Treitler, started a performance series in NYC called ‘In a Circle’. Through this project Max and Johnny have been able to present music genres such as Persian, Folk, Bluegrass, Mugham (classical music of Azerbaijan) and Rock on the same programs as Classical music. These concerts have also presented exhibitions by such visual artists as Mary Frank, Kevork Mourad and Guillermo Resto as well as newly commissioned works by composers Lev Zhurbin and Luis Prado. ‘In a Circle’ brings together notonly artists from around the world, but also their diverse audiences, thus creating a unique shared experience for all.

Johnny was born in Russia into a musical family. His father is a professor of Viola at Michigan State University, his mother is a pianist and his sister is a violinist as well. He lives in Brooklyn.