jonathan king, conductor and collaborative pianist

Jonathan King is a fast-rising American conductor and collaborative pianist, working with some of the classical music industry’s top artists and organizations to bring urgent stories, important voices, and essential music vibrantly to life.

Announced in summer of 2023 as Music Director for the enterprising Opera Memphis company, King has embraced his role as civic musician and community connector, helping to lead the company’s community engagement activities with “30 Days of Opera” in and around Memphis, preparing choirs and soloists for artistic collaboration with Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and leading musical preparation for productions of Cavalli's "La Calisto" and Puccini's "La Boheme."  He recently made his podium debut with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Opera Memphis for a concert staging of Mozart's "The Magic Flute," to audience and musician acclaim.

King has worked as an assistant conductor with leading ensembles and conductors, including two summers as assistant conductor with the Oregon Bach Festival; assistant conductor to John Nelson on multiple projects, including a “Messiah” with The English Concert at Coventry Cathedral; and as Associate Conductor to Dr. Eugene Rogers with the multiple Grammy award winning symphonic choir, The Washington Chorus. He has also served as a coach and collaborating pianist for Nashville Opera.

King has prepared choirs to work with top conductors including Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, and Gianandrea Noseda, and has served as répétiteur with the National Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Opera, Intermountain Opera Bozeman, Opera Saratoga, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Unlimited Series.

One of King’s signature longstanding collaborations is as collaborative pianist with celebrated American baritone Will Liverman (Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, etc.), with whom King has recorded four albums on the Deutsche Grammophon, Cedille, and Odradek labels, and performed dozens of concerts across North America and Europe, including at Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center Opera House, and Aspen Summer Music Festival.  Together, they make a much-anticipated debut at the acclaimed Oxford International Song Festival in October of 2024.

King’s collaborative pianism has been acclaimed by critics across the globe as “magnificent” (Scherzo magazine), “poetic and heroic” (Classical-Modern Music Review), “deft and sensitive” (Chicago Tribune), and “fully alive” (Washington Post). Their album, Whither Must I Wander, was named one of ten “Best Classical Recordings of 2020” by the Chicago Tribune, and received a Critic’s Choice Award by Opera News. He has worked additionally as a collaborative pianist with celebrated singers including Renée Fleming, J’Nai Bridges, Nicole Cabell, Michael Spyres, and John Holiday. 

Their most recent album release, "Show Me The Way" on Cedille Records, released globally on March 8, 2024. This landmark new recording features King and Liverman in collaboration with luminary artists including Renée Fleming, Nicole Cabell, Tahirah Whittington, Lady Jess, J’Nai Bridges, Jasmine Arielle Barnes, and more. 

Commissioning and premiering new music is deeply important to King, and in his career to date he has premiered new works by composers including Libby Larsen, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Jasmine Barners, Rene Orth, Roxana Panufnik, and Kamala Sankaram, and has worked closely with composer Shawn Okpebholo. 

King is a doctoral candidate at The University of Maryland and holds Master of Music degrees in piano chamber music and choral conducting from the University of Michigan, where he was the recipient of the Edward P. Frolich and Brehm Fellowship awards. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Wheaton College (IL).

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