Jonathan Aasgaard
Key details:
- Department:
- Strings, Harp & Guitar
- Role:
- Cello Tutor
Biography
Norwegian cellist Jonathan Aasgaard is one of Europe’s most versatile cellists, as soloist, chamber musician, studio musician, orchestral principal, teacher and explorer of new music.
Aasgaard was appointed Principal Cello of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 1999 and has since performed more than 40 works for cello and orchestra with orchestras in the UK and abroad. He is regularly invited as a guest principal with several leading British and European orchestras and is principal cello of the John Wilson Orchestra.
Chamber music performances have taken him around Europe, the Middle East, Japan, South Korea and the USA including a range of leading festivals collaborating with artists such as violinists Nigel Kennedy, Henning Kraggerud and Julian Rachlin, violist Laurence Power, cellists Yo Yo Ma and Giovanni Sollima, pianists Simon Trpceski, Boris Giltberg, Joanna Mac Gregor and clarinetist Martin Fröst.
Aasgaard’s discography includes several concerto and recital albums on AVIE and chamber music recordings with the Sinfonia of London Chamber Ensemble (Chandos) and the Pixels Ensemble (Rubicon).
He has given numerous premieres, including the world premiere of Carl Davis' Ballade for cello and orchestra, the European premiere of Giovanni Sollima's double cello concerto, the UK premiere of Weinberg’s cello concerto, the US premiere of concertos by Franz Neruda and Emil Hartmann and world premieres of dozens of solo pieces of which many are written for him.
Aasgaard studied at the Barratt-Due’s Institute in Oslo and at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with the late Prof. Leonard Stehn where he won all the cello and chamber music prizes and was a Gold Medal finalist.
Jonathan plays a cello by Celeste Farotti, made in Milan in 1926.