Professor Jonathan Vaughan

Biography

Jonathan joined Guildhall School in 2007 as its Director of Music, and was appointed Principal in 2022.

He attended a comprehensive school in a heavily industrial part of the Midlands and attributes his career to the free music lessons he received at school, provided by Leicestershire’s outstanding music service. After studying double bass and piano at the Royal College of Music, he became a member of the London Symphony Orchestra for ten years, where he was elected Chairman in 1999.

He went on to become Director of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for five years, before joining Guildhall School.

In 2024, Jonathan was awarded the Freedom of the City of London by the Lord Mayor. He is currently studying for a PhD on the subject of ‘Artistic Citizenship and Performance Excellence in Music Conservatoires’. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and of Guildhall School, and was conferred the title of Professor of Music at Guildhall in 2021. He has been a Governor and board member for many arts organisations and currently sits on the Young Classical Artist Trust and the Mendelssohn Boise Scholarship Foundation.