Jonathan Holland

Born in 1963, Jon was brought up in Yorkshire and began his playing life in some of the brass bands of that region. From 1981-1984, he studied at the Royal College of Music under David Mason, performing the Horovitz Trumpet Concerto in his final year with the composer conducting the RCM orchestra.  In his third year at the College he was accepted into the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) as 3rd Trumpet playing 1st as required and became Section Leader Trumpet in 1987, his current position.

Jon has freelanced with most British orchestras, including appearances as Guest Principal with the London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony, the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestras, Northern Sinfonia, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the BBC Philharmonic.  Abroad, Jon has appeared as a guest with the Ensemble Modern (Germany), Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (Norway) the Symphony Orchestra of Tenerife and the Asia Philharmonic.  He has played regularly with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group since its foundation in 1987 and has a keen interest in the contemporary repertoire.  He performed the solo trumpet part of Thea Musgrave's Lamenting with Ariadne with the group in 2000.

Other solo work has included several performances of the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with the CBSO including a live BBC broadcast under the baton of Mark Elder, and in 2003 he performed one of the solo trumpet parts in Mark Anthony Turnage’s “Blood on the Floor” with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the South Bank’s Turnage Festival, also a BBC Broadcast.  With the CBSO he has also performed the Shostakovich Concerto for Piano Trumpet and Strings with the pianist Ewa Kupiec and the Arvo Part Concerto on BACH.  Since 1986, Jon has worked at the Birmingham Conservatoire, where his involvement includes the position of tutor of trumpet as well as taking various group instrumental classes and undertaking regular examining and auditioning there.