Biography

Celebrated as a “fresh presence,” and “fully alive” (Washington Post), Jonathan King is currently in his first season as Music Director at Opera Memphis, and has previously served as Associate Conductor for The Washington Chorus and as adjunct faculty at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he coached with Peabody Opera Theatre. He has served as assistant conductor, chorus master, and junior lecturer with Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland, and has prepared choirs to work with eminent conductors including Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, and Gianandrea Noseda. King has also regularly served as assistant conductor to John Nelson, most recently in a 2022 performance of Handel’s Messiah with The English Concert at Coventry Cathedral.

As “a deft and sensitive accompanist” (Chicago Tribune), King has served as répétiteur with the National Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Opera, Intermountain Opera Bozeman, Opera Saratoga, the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Unlimited Series, and at the Oregon Bach Festival, where he also served as assistant conductor during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. As a collaborative pianist, King has worked with celebrated singers including J’Nai Bridges, Renée Fleming, Nicole Cabell, Michael Spyres, John Holiday, and Will Liverman.

“Pianist Jonathan King seconds with a pianism that is poetic and, yes, heroic in its own way as well.”

Grego Applegate Edwards, Classical-Modern Music Review

As a duo, King and Liverman have recorded with Deutsche Grammophon, Cedille Records, Odradek Records, and maintain an active recital schedule. They have appeared at historic venues including Wigmore Hall, the Aspen Summer Music Festival, and the Kennedy Center Opera House. Their album, Whither Must I Wander (Odradek, 2020), was named one of ten “Best Classical Recordings of 2020” by the Chicago Tribune, and received a Critic’s Choice Award by Opera News.

“Liverman’s magnificent accompanying pianist is a true companion with whom he should continue to wander the wide world.”

Ana García Urcola, Scherzo Magazine

King is a doctoral candidate (ABD) at The University of Maryland, and holds two 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).