Jonathan's profile
A Maryland native, Jonathan Jensen credits several influences with shaping his path as a composer and performer: the songs his mother played and sang at the piano, his brother's collection of 78 rpm records, the concerts and Broadway shows he attended as a child, hootenannies out on the patio, and years of music lessons. All of this eventually led to a career as a musical chameleon: Baltimore Symphony bassist, pianist for folk and ballroom dancing, mandola player with the Baltimore Mandolin Quartet, songwriter, and published arranger/composer. In his creative work he has a knack for absorbing the essences of many traditional musical genres while imbuing them with his own personal flavor.
Two of his orchestral arrangements have been performed on international tours by the BSO, and his duties with the orchestra have included occasional stints on keyboards, mandolin, banjo, tin whistle and percussion. Two days after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 Jonathan wrote an orchestral arrangement of "God Bless America" that was played as an encore at that evening's concert.
As a pianist for ballroom dancing, contra dancing and English country dance Jonathan has appeared up and down the East Coast, in California, Missouri, Kentucky, Italy and England. Many of his dance tunes and songs are well known in folk dance circles, traveling as far afield as Europe and Australia.
For the past 15 years, Jonathan and BSO percussionist Chris Williams have performed in elementary school classrooms around the Baltimore/D.C. area. Their popular and entertaining presentation focuses on the families of musical instruments, and requires Jonathan to play double bass, tabor pipe, psaltery, ocarina, panpipes, flute, bamboo clarinet and his own "Home Depot bassoon". He was commissioned to compose a piece for another educational ensemble which allows 4th grade recorder students to participate in the performance. Two original works for children's chorus have been published by the Boosey & Hawkes firm.
Not long after the death of Governor William Donald Schaefer in 2011, Jonathan began writing songs for a proposed musical based on Schaefer's tumultuous years as mayor of Baltimore. The completed work, with a book by local playwright Rich Espey and entitled "Do It Now", has had two well-received readings, and is undergoing further development.
Jonathan is married to a former Baltimore Sun writer, and has a daughter who recently graduated from college with a BFA degree.
Two of his orchestral arrangements have been performed on international tours by the BSO, and his duties with the orchestra have included occasional stints on keyboards, mandolin, banjo, tin whistle and percussion. Two days after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 Jonathan wrote an orchestral arrangement of "God Bless America" that was played as an encore at that evening's concert.
As a pianist for ballroom dancing, contra dancing and English country dance Jonathan has appeared up and down the East Coast, in California, Missouri, Kentucky, Italy and England. Many of his dance tunes and songs are well known in folk dance circles, traveling as far afield as Europe and Australia.
For the past 15 years, Jonathan and BSO percussionist Chris Williams have performed in elementary school classrooms around the Baltimore/D.C. area. Their popular and entertaining presentation focuses on the families of musical instruments, and requires Jonathan to play double bass, tabor pipe, psaltery, ocarina, panpipes, flute, bamboo clarinet and his own "Home Depot bassoon". He was commissioned to compose a piece for another educational ensemble which allows 4th grade recorder students to participate in the performance. Two original works for children's chorus have been published by the Boosey & Hawkes firm.
Not long after the death of Governor William Donald Schaefer in 2011, Jonathan began writing songs for a proposed musical based on Schaefer's tumultuous years as mayor of Baltimore. The completed work, with a book by local playwright Rich Espey and entitled "Do It Now", has had two well-received readings, and is undergoing further development.
Jonathan is married to a former Baltimore Sun writer, and has a daughter who recently graduated from college with a BFA degree.
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