Jonathan Cohen

Jonathan Cohen has forged a remarkable career as a conductor, cellist, and keyboardist. Well known for his passion and commitment to chamber music, he is equally at home in such diverse activities as Baroque opera and the classical symphonic repertoire. He is artistic director of Arcangelo, music director of Les Violons du Roy, artistic director of Tetbury Festival, and artistic partner of St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He will assume the role of artistic director of the Handel and Haydn Society beginning in the 2023-24 season. Mullova Plays Bach on January 28 & 29 marks his conducting debut with Music of the Baroque.

Jonathan Cohen's engagements during the 2022-23 season include a return to the US to conduct the Handel and Haydn Society and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. His projects with Les Violons du Roy include Handel’s Alcina and programs with Carolyn Sampson and Philippe Jaroussky. He also conducted the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Real Filharmonia de Galicia, and Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla. Projects with Arcangelo include Handel's Theodora.

Jonathan Cohen founded the award-winning period performance ensemble Arcangelo in 2010. He has toured with them to exceptional halls and festivals including Wigmore Hall London, Philharmonie Berlin, Kölner Philharmonie, Vienna Musikverein, Salzburg Festival, and Carnegie Hall New York. Arcangelo made its Proms debut at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in 2016 and returned to the Proms in 2018 (Theodora) and 2021 (St. Matthew Passion).

Arcangelo is much in demand in the recording studio, partnering with soloists such as Iestyn Davies (Arias for Guadagni won the Recital Category at the 2012 Gramophone Awards and their recording of Bach cantatas won best Baroque Vocal recording in the 2017 Gramophone Awards), Anna Prohaska, and Christopher Purves for Hyperion Records. Their recording of C.P.E Bach cello concerti with Nicolas Altstaedt won the BBC Music Magazine Awards’ Concerto category in 2017 and their Buxtehude Trio Sonatas, op.1 recording for Alpha Classics was nominated for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance in the 2018 Grammy Awards. Recent recordings include Handel’s Brockes-Passion, Buxtehude Trio Sonatas op. 2, and a further disc of Bach Cantatas with Iestyn Davies.