Jonathan Nott facts for kids

Jonathan Nott (born on December 25, 1962, in Solihull, England) is a famous English conductor. A conductor is like the leader of an orchestra or choir. They guide the musicians to play together perfectly.

Jonathan Nott's Early Life and Training

Jonathan Nott grew up in England. His father was a priest at Worcester Cathedral. Jonathan loved music from a young age. He studied music at St John's College, Cambridge. He was also a "choral scholar" there, which means he sang in the choir and received a scholarship.

He continued his music studies in Manchester. He learned to sing and play the flute at the Royal Northern College of Music. He also studied how to be a conductor in London. After his studies, he moved to Germany. He wanted to build his career there using the traditional Kapellmeister system. A Kapellmeister is a German word for a music director or conductor, often in charge of an orchestra or opera house.

Starting His Conducting Career

Jonathan Nott began his conducting journey in 1988. His first performance was at an Opera Festival in Battignano, Italy. In 1989, he became a Kapellmeister at the Frankfurt Opera. This was an important step in his career.

He then moved to the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden in 1991. He became the "First Kapellmeister" there. For a short time in 1995–1996, he was the main conductor. Later, he became the music director at the Lucerne Theatre. He also led the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra as its main conductor from 1997 to 2002.

Leading Major Orchestras

Jonathan Nott has worked with many famous orchestras. He recorded music by the composer György Ligeti with the Berlin Philharmonic. This was part of a big project to record all of Ligeti's works.

In 2000, Nott became the music director of the Ensemble InterContemporain (EIC). This group is known for playing modern music. He led them until 2003. After that, he became their main guest conductor until 2005.

He also became the main conductor of the Bamberg Symphony in January 2000. He made his first performance in New York City with this orchestra. He stayed with the Bamberg Symphony for many years, finishing his time there at the end of the 2015–2016 season. In 2014, he also started working with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie as their main conductor and artistic advisor.

International Roles

Jonathan Nott first conducted the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in Japan in October 2011. They were so impressed that they asked him to be their music director. He accepted, and his role officially began with the 2014–2015 season. He was scheduled to continue leading the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra until March 2026.

In October 2014, Nott also started guest-conducting the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) in Switzerland. Based on these performances, the OSR chose him as their next music and artistic director in January 2015. He officially started this role in January 2017. His contract with the OSR was set to continue until the end of the 2025-2026 season.

Looking ahead, in July 2025, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Spain announced that Jonathan Nott will become their new music director. He is set to start this exciting role with the 2026-2027 season.

Personal Life

Jonathan Nott is married to Helen. They have three children together.

See also

In Spanish: Jonathan Nott para niños