ABOUT JONATHAN

The multitalented British-American musician Jonathan Palmer Lakeland is a conductor, pianist/vocal coach, and producer working globally in the classical music and opera industries. Having made his professional debut at the age of 15, Jonathan has pursued a diverse career which speaks to his varied interests as a performer, teacher, and leader.

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As a conductor, Jonathan works regularly for opera companies in Europe and North America. Last season, he made his Vienna opera conducting debut to rave reviews with a new production of Tobias Picker's Therese Raquin at Theatre an der Wien, where he also worked as a Studienleiter and Repetiteur. Other recent and upcoming performance engagements include with the Schauspielhaus (Zurich), Theater an der Wien, Northern Ireland Opera, and Royal Academy Opera. In the summer of 2018, Jonathan held the Billy Joel Fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Festival, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. While a fellow, Jonathan served as assistant conductor of Leonard Bernstein's opera "A Quiet Place", which was part of Tanglewood's celebration of the Bernstein centenary. He also performed extensively as a collaborative pianist at the Festival, while being mentored by musicians such as Roger Vignoles, Dawn Upshaw, Stephanie Blythe, and Peter Serkin, among others.

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As a recital pianist, Jonathan collaborates regularly with singers including Aigul Akhmetshina, Dame Felicity Lott, Claire Barnett-Jones, Olivia Warburton, and many others. He has performed at venues including the Wigmore Hall, Alice Tully Hall (Lincoln Center), and the Oxford Lieder Festival.

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As a vocal coach, Jonathan has prepared singers for performances with opera houses including: the Royal Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera, the Wiener Staatsoper, Dutch National Opera, Glyndebourne, Opera National de Paris, and the Bayerisches Staatsoper, to name a few. 

In addition to his freelance work, Jonathan is the Associate Director and Vocal Coach at the Georg Solti Accademia in Italy. As one of the directors of the Accademia, Jonathan teaches alongside musicians including Jonathan Papp, Maestro Richard Bonynge, Angela Gheorghiu, Barbara Frittoli, and Leo Nucci.

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Equally passionate about supporting his fellow musicians, Jonathan has produced classical music recordings, performances, and events for musicians and organizations around the world, including: the University of Oxford, Naxos, Westminster Choir College, and others.