Jonathan Ong
Singaporean violinist Jonathan Ong is the first violinist and a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Verona Quartet. An accomplished soloist and chamber musician, his playing has been lauded for its “ineffable sweetness” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). He actively concertizes throughout the world, appearing in major venues such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. He currently serves on the faculty of the Oberlin College & Conservatory as Artist Teacher of Violin.
Jonathan’s recordings with the Verona Quartet can be found on Azica Records, Bright Shiny Things Records and Dynamic Records. The quartet’s second album, “Shatter”, debuted in June 2023 at No. 1 on the U.S. Classical Billboard Charts, and was lauded for its “transportive quality” and “captivating playing” (BBC Music Magazine); their latest album, featuring the complete string quartets of György Ligeti, was released on Dynamic Records in December 2023.
Jonathan was recently appointed Co-Director of Credo Music’s Oberlin String Quartet Institute in Ohio, and additionally is on faculty at the ENCORE Chamber Music Institute. He has taught and given masterclasses at institutions and festivals such as Indiana University, The Juilliard School, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, La Jolla Summerfest and the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance.
Along with his quartet, Jonathan took top prizes at major international competitions including the Concert Artists Guild (USA), Wigmore Hall (London), Osaka (Japan), Chesapeake, Coleman and Fischoff competitions, fueling the group’s rapid rise to international prominence. In 2020, they were bestowed with Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award in recognition of their achievements in the field of chamber music. Jonathan counts among his mentors Donald Weilerstein, Alexander Kerr, Paul Kantor, Lynn Blakeslee and Lynette Lim, and he studied chamber music with members of the Juilliard, Cleveland and Pacifica Quartets.
