Silk Road Ensemble Artists

Jonathan Gandelsman
violin (Israel)

Jonathan Gandelsman's musical voice reflects the artistic collaborations he has been a part of since moving to the United States twelve years ago. Through his work with such artists as Kayhan Kalhor, Yo-Yo Ma, Bono, Christina Courtin, Osvaldo Golijov, James Levine, Mark Morris, Alim and Fergana Qasimov, Nigel Kennedy, Kenny Garrett and Jenny Scheinman, Gandelsman has been able to integrate a wide range of creative sensibilities into his own unique point of view. Although Johnny has been performing as a soloist since he was a child, he discovered his true love for music through lifelong friendships that were formed at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he was a student.

From 1997 to 2001, Johnny was the concertmaster of Wild Ginger Philharmonic, a groundbreaking orchestra founded by his classmate and conductor David Goodman. Today, Johnny plays in the string quartet Brooklyn Rider together with Nicholas Cords, Colin Jacobsen and Eric Jacobsen, all former members of Wild Ginger. All of them are also members of The Knights, a chamber orchestra started by the Jacobsen brothers, an indirect outcome of their shared experience in Wild Ginger. The forming of Brooklyn Rider is a result of a long-standing musical relationship between four like-minded musicians and friends. One of the goals for the group is to broaden the role of a string quartet in today's world through dynamic programming and performances in unconventional spaces. Brooklyn Rider's first album is due to be released in spring of 2008. The album is an outgrowth of a close friendship and musical collaboration between the quartet and a Persian master kamancheh player, Kayhan Kalhor.

In 2002, Johnny was invited by Yo-Yo Ma to join his Silk Road Ensemble. This has allowed him to work closely with great masters of musical traditions from the ancient trading route. Johnny has played a vital role in the ensemble's exploration of the music of the Roma people, as well as the group's modern adaptation of an Azeri opera based on the timeless story of Layla and Majnun. As a member of the Silk Road Ensemble, Johnny has performed all over the U.S., as well as in Japan, China, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Azerbaijan, Israel and Egypt. Gandelsman appears on the Silk Road Ensemble’s albums Beyond the Horizon and New Impossibilities, released by Sony Classical.

Following a strong desire to break down barriers between artists and their audiences, in 2003 Johnny, along with Max Treitler, started a performance series in NYC called 'In a Circle'. Through this project Max and Johnny have been able to present music genres such as Persian, folk, bluegrass, mugham (classical music of Azerbaijan) and rock on the same programs as classical music. These concerts have also presented exhibitions by such visual artists as Mary Frank, Kevork Mourad and Guillermo Resto as well as newly commissioned works by composers Lev Zhurbin and Luis Prado. 'In a Circle' brings together not only artists from around the world, but also their diverse audiences, creating a unique shared experience for all.

Johnny was born in Russia into a musical family. His father is the violist of the Fine Arts Quartet, his mother is a pianist and his sister is a violinist as well. He lives in Brooklyn.