jonathan newell
Jonathan Newell is a classical pianist, composer, rock guitarist, bassist, singer and Impresario. Since 1988 he has divided his time between teaching, performing, composing and hosting concerts. He performs over 100 times a year throughout the Northeastern United States in concert halls, colleges, clubs, coffee houses, corporate events, festivals and private gatherings.
He holds a BA from Ithaca College in Piano Performance and Art History and an MA in Piano Performance and Composition from Hunter College. He is a former member of the piano faculty of The Diller-Quaille School of Music in Manhattan, a lecturer of The World of Music and The History of Pop Music in America at The College of St. Joseph in Rutland, Vermont, and he taught piano, guitar and Music Industry at SUNY Adirondack in Glens Falls, New York. He served as pianist/composer with the Adirondack Repertory Dance Theater from 1993 - 2015. Mr. Newell gave his New York piano debut at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2009 and was recognized as a Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in 2006. He has studied piano with Edward Housman at Skidmore College, Phiroze Mehta at Ithaca College, Steven Graff at Hunter College and Dr. Julie Jordon at the Juilliard School. He performed in master classes with Andre Michel Schub, Paul Badura Skoda and numerous times with Mordeci Shehori.
As a guitarist he focuses on the music of the 1960’s – 1990’s and has worked in successful party bands The Groove, artFarm and The Jonathan Newell Band in resort areas throughout the Northeastern US. He plays guitar in the Led Zeppelin tribute band Better Off Led and plays bass and piano in the Beatles tribute band Across The Pond and is the producer of the show Ballet Meets The Beatles.
As a composer, he is a 2010 recipient of a Strategic Opportunity Stipend from the New York Foundation for the Arts and a 2013, 2009 and 2002 recipient of Individual Artist Grants from The New York Council for the Arts. His String Quartet was performed at Columbia University for an international symposium on the poetry of William Bronk and heard on National Public Radio. He studied composition with Shafer Mahoney at Hunter College. Since 1990 he has released numerous recordings of original songs and piano music on his own True To Life Music label.
In 2010 he began The Hudson River Music Hall and in 2011 cofounded Hudson River Music Hall Productions Inc., a 501c3 not-for-profit dedicated to presenting the performing arts in Northeastern New York in order to foster community, creativity and economic development. He is Executive/Artistic Director of the historic Strand Theatre in Hudson Falls, NY.
