Jonathan Bates is a tenor horn soloist, composer and conductor hailing from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. In 2012 he became only the 2nd ever tenor horn player to reach the televised category final of BBC Young Musician of the Year following 2 consecutive appearances in the final of the BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist of the Year in 2010 & 2011.
Since then, he has recorded the tenor horn sample audio for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) grade exams, appeared as a guest soloist in the UK, Germany, Denmark, Norway & Switzerland and in 2019 became the first ever guest tenor horn artist to be invited to perform at the International Tuba & Euphonium Conference (ITEC) held in Iowa, USA, performing the world premiere of the brass band adaption of Anthony DiLorenzo’s Zodiac Concerto accompanied by the Fountain City Brass Band.
Principal Horn with the world famous Foden’s Brass Band
He currently holds the position of Principal Horn with the world famous Foden’s Brass Band, having previously held the same position with the Grimethorpe Colliery and Black Dyke Bands, winning Regional, English National, British National, British Open and European Championships in his time with the latter. Jonathan had previously played with the Brighouse & Rastrick and Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Bands having started his career with the Elland Silver Band as a graduate of their youth band system.
Jonathan is the youngest ever member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, joining a week after his 12th birthday. He went on to attend 14 courses - 8 of which as Principal Horn - winning both the Katie Ogden & Harry Mortimer Solo Awards along with the Harold & Bernard Tovey Memorial Award for Outstanding Musical Contribution in 2011. He also appeared at the BBC Proms as Principal Horn of the band in 2012.
A graduate from the Royal Northern College of Music
Following the completion of an Extended Diploma in Classical Music from Leeds College of Music, Jonathan went on to graduate from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2017 with 1st Class honours in Performance & Composition before completing a Postgraduate International Artist’s Diploma in Chamber Music as a member of A4 Brass Quartet.
In 2011, his first major composition 'Within The Paths of Righteousness' was given it's premiere by Bramwell Tovey and the NYBBGB, composed at the age of 15.
Since this first performance, Jonathan has gone on to compose for many of the world’s leading bands and soloists to perform and record, with his music featured by Black Dyke, Cory, Brighouse & Rastrick, Grimethorpe Colliery, Foden’s, Tredegar, Carlton Main, Leyland, Flowers and Virtuosi GUS to name but a few. He has also composed a Euphonium Concerto for globally renowned soloist David Childs (which was the title track of a full album of Jonathan’s music - Stratos - recorded by the Flowers Band) and Cornet Concerto for Lode Violet, recorded by Brass Band Willebroek in 2018.
In terms of more substantial works for brass band, Jonathan’s music has been used at both the UK Regional and National Championships, World Championships, French Open and National Championships in the USA, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. His works have been performed in halls such as London's Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, The Sage Gateshead, Bergen Grieghallen and the KKL Luzern.
Jonathan is currently a Performance & Development artist for Geneva Instruments and K&G Mouthpieces.
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