Basic
First Name:
Jonah
Last Name:
Ellsworth
City:
Cambridge
State:
MA
Country:
USA
First Year:
2013
Last Year:
2020
Biography
Birthday:
5/26/1994
About:
Critics have certainly taken notice of cellist Jonah Ellsworth for his solo performances with the Boston Symphony, Akron Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Maui Chamber Orchestra, Johnstown Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, Symphony by the Sea, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and New Bedford Symphony, among others. Ellsworth has been referred to as “a kind of unrepentant Tannhauser” and “a player to watch,” by the Boston Globe and Clevelandclassical.com respectively. The Boston Musical Intelligencer wrote that he is “fearless [with a] complete range of expressive richness”. When describing Ellsworth's performance of the Dvořák Concerto with the Boston Philharmonic in October of 2018, The Boston Classical Review wrote, "This is the sort of performance you'd expect from a Yo-Yo Ma or a Mischa Maisky, not a musician pushing twenty-five." At the tender age of 16, Ellsworth performed the Dvořák Concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Boston Symphony Hall. He was also featured as a soloist with the New Bedford Symphony on their regular subscription series in 2012, with Symphony Pro Musica, and with Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra under the baton of the late Gunther Schuller performing Shostakovich Cello Concerto #1. As the winner of NEC's Concerto Competition, he performed the Elgar Cello Concerto with the NEC Philharmonia in March of 2016. More recently, he performed Haydn's Cello Concerto in C Major with the Maui Chamber Orchestra in Hawaii, Saint- Saëns Cello Concerto #1 with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania, Schumann Cello Concerto with the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida, the Saint- Saëns Cello Concerto with the Boston Philharmonic, the Dvořák Cello Concerto with the Akron Symphony in Ohio, and Brahms Double Concerto with Symphony by the Sea. When he performed Strauss’ Don Quixote with Benjamin Zander and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO) in Europe, former Boston Globe critic Richard Dyer wrote “Ellsworth’s grasp of what the notes mean, of the stories they tell, of the feeling behind and within the notes, is firm, and very deep. His playing of some of the quieter episodes, the yearning that Don Q feels for the idealized Dulcinea, was profoundly moving, and there was plenty of rambunction as he tilted against windmills and scattered sheep.” Also on this same tour, he performed the Dvořák Concerto in Basel, Switzerland. The following is Dyer’s comparison of this performance to that of Natalia Gutman (a legendary Russian cellist who was also soloist with BPYO on this tour): “Ellsworth’s performance was the more mature, serene and centered, and he played with technical mastery, imagination, passion and deep feeling and he was fearless, despite the fact that moments before the concert his cello was knocked over and the bridge was cracked.” His performance of the Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with NEC’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra in Slovakia prompted the critic from Boston Musical Intelligencer to write, “…Any praise of Jonah’s technical abilities is likely to be an understatement. He is completely assured and intensely musical; each of the variations had a distinctive character and tone color… This is a young man on the verge of an international career.” Ellsworth received the third place prize of the 2017 Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition. He was also a finalist of the 2011 Stulberg International String Competition in Michigan, and received the top prize from the Harvard Musical Association in 2012. He appeared on the PBS TV show of the “From the Top” taped live in Carnegie Hall in New York City which has been broadcast on PBS stations nationwide. Ellsworth has studied with Laurence Lesser at New England Conservatory and Peter Wiley at Curtis Institute of Music. Other teachers include Hans Jansen and Natasha Brofsky. He was a participant at Marlboro Music Festival during the summers of 2014 to 2016 and has been a guest artist at Rockport Chamber Music Festival. Other summer festivals he has attended include the Steans Institute of Ravinia Music Festival, Meadowmount Music School, and Orford Arts Center in Canada. In addition to his solo career, Ellsworth has devoted much of his young professional life honing his skills as a chamber musician. He joined the critically acclaimed Boston Trio in 2016. With the Boston Trio, he has performed in some of the most prestigious concert venues in the United States including Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the Boston Phiharmonic in 2017. He performed in Oregon, California, Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania last season with the Boston Trio.
Current Primary Activity(ies):
Cellist in the Boston Trio
Education:
NEC
Degree:
BM, MM