Sheffield Philharmonic is pleased to announce the continuing engagement of Musical Director Jonathan Lo for their 66th Concert Season. Following his energetic and accomplished direction of the Phil's concert run last year, Jonathan again takes up the baton and, drawing upon his expertise and his extensive resources both in musicianship and musical contacts, we look forward to our players being encouraged and enriched and our audiences thrilled in 2011-12.

Jonathan Lo graduated from St Peter’s College, University of Oxford in 2009, where he held the Paul Geddes’ Senior Organ Scholarship. He studied  conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music on a major scholarship under Clark Rundell, graduating with distinction and winning the Mortimer Furber Prize in Conducting. Currently he is Musical Director of the Sheffield Philharmonic, University of Southampton Sinfonietta and Opera Seria, and is Director of Music at St Thomas’ Church, Mellor.

Born in Hong Kong in 1987, Jonathan’s conducting career began at Oxford University, when he was appointed music director of the Oxford University Philharmonia after winning the University’s conducting competition, making his debut in the Sheldonian Theatre in 2007. During his tenure he performed symphonies by Brahms, Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, as well as a complete Beethoven symphony cycle with the orchestra. Since then, Jonathan has worked with orchestras all around the country including the Manchester Camerata, the Gabrieli Consort and the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He has also conducted all the orchestras and ensembles at the RNCM.

As a choral conductor, Jonathan studied with Paul Spicer of the Finzi Singers, and was musical director of the Oxford University Chorus. He was Director of Music of the St Peter’s College Chapel Choir, leading them in concerts and on international tours. Jonathan conducts regularly at the UK’s famous Cathedrals, and has conducted the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral’s Choirs in a radio broadcast. He has been a guest conductor with the Keele Bach Choir.

Jonathan made his operatic conducting debut in 2008 with a production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which was followed by Cosi fan Tutte in 2009 by the same professional company. Recently, Jonathan conducted the British premiere of Taneyev’s Oresteia for the Univeristy of Leeds’ International Russian Nationalist Opera Symposium, which received critical acclaim from reviewers including Opera magazine. For the RNCM, Jonathan was the continuo recitativo and assistant conductor in the college’s production of La Clemenza di Tito, as well as conducting the college’s opera excerpts programme, conducting a varied repertoire from Ariodante through Tosca to The Rake’s Progress. Recently, Jonathan conducted the premiere of Flight Path by Stephen Kilpatrick for Wingbeats in partnership with Opera North. 

In contemporary music, Jonathan regularly gives premieres of works by composers with ensembles such as the RNCM Brand New Orchestra. He made his Wigmore Hall debut in May 2010 conducting the RNCM New Ensemble at the Alexander Goehr festival, while in April, Jonathan conducted a recording of Edward Gregson's new work Dream Song written for the BBC Philharmonic Mahler cycle. He recently conducted the London Sinfonietta in the orchestra’s inaugural Conductor’s Academy, participating in public masterclasses with Elgar Howarth on music by Takemitsu and Birtwistle.

Jonathan has worked with and studied with conductors such as Sir Mar Elder, Paul McCreesh, Jac van Steen and Mark Stringer.  Jonathan was a finalist in both the recent prestigious RNCM Junior Fellowship Conducting competition, where he spent three intensive days working closely with Sir Mark Elder, and in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Conducting Fellowship Competition. International soloists Jonathan has worked with include Sarah Connolly, Benjamin Frith, Simon Keenlyside, and the Voxare String Quartet.