bio

Motivated by a fierce advocacy of classical music and a firm belief in the power of live performance, Jonathan Slade is a uniquely versatile musician and educator, equally at home as a flautist, baroque flautist & composer.

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Described by the Wall Street Journal as an "exceptional" baroque flautist, Jonathan has performed with Les Arts Florissants, The English Concert in America, and with Arcangelo as part of the 2021 BBC Proms. He is the principal flautist of Oxford-based Instruments of Time & Truth, with whom he has appeared as a soloist in the Benda E minor concerto, directing the ensemble from the flute, and alongside violinist Bojan Čičić in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. A recording of Telemann's  in Germany with the Boston Early Music Festival Ensemble and soprano Amanda Forsythe was released in September, 2024.

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On the modern instrument, Jonathan performs extensively as an orchestral and chamber musician. Recent engagements have included appearances with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, performing with soloist Evgeny Kissin and in Brussels as part of NATO's anniversary celebrations. Jonathan also appears regularly with the Brandenburg Sinfonia, performing alongside his former teacher Michael Cox. A frequent collaborator with flautist Elisabeth Parry and pianist John Alley, Jonathan has consulted on several of their publications and appeared alongside them in performance. In 2020, their publishing house Aurea Capra published Jonathan's own composition, The Passage of Time, which won a composition award from the National Flute Association the following year.

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After lockdown was imposed on the UK as a result of the coronavirus crisis, Jonathan launched the online performance platform Recital Stream, bringing live performance to the living rooms of those in isolation. Recital Stream was featured in The Guardian and on the BBC Music Magazine website, and showcased artists such as flautist Anthony Robb, bassist Sam Suggs and baroque violinists Alana Youssefian and Augusta McKay Lodge. During this period he was also invited to participate in numerous video and socially-distanced projects, including a recording of Charpentier works with Edward Higginbottom, and the Oxford Bach Soloists' epic St John Passion in Isolation.

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A dedicated and sought-after teacher, Jonathan holds teaching positions at Oxford High School and St Albans High School for Girls, as well as some freelance coaching as an early music specialist. He offers some limited private teaching, specialising in advanced students and baroque enthusiasts. 

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Jonathan graduated with Distinction from the Master of Arts program at the Royal Academy of Music in 2012, winning a DipRAM performance diploma for his final recital. He was awarded the Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music in 2015 and the Graduate Diploma in Historical Performance from The Juilliard School in 2018. 

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Jonathan has less time for other pursuits than he would like, but particularly loves travel & documentary photography (some examples here), and experiencing the food and culture of new places.