bio

Motivated by a fierce advocacy of classical music and a firm belief in the power of live performance, Jonathan Slade is a uniquely versatile musician and educator, equally at home as a flautist, baroque flautist & composer.

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Described by the Wall Street Journal as an "exceptional" baroque flautist, Jonathan has performed with The English Concert, Les Arts Florissants, The London Handel Orchestra and with Arcangelo as part of the BBC Proms. He is the principal flautist of Oxford-based Instruments of Time & Truth, with whom he has appeared as a soloist in the Benda E minor concerto, directing the ensemble from the flute, and alongside violinist Bojan Čičić in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. Jonathan participated in the Grammy-nominated recording of Telemann's cantata Ino with the Boston Early Music Festival Ensemble and soprano Amanda Forsythe, and has been asked to join the ensemble again in 2026 in Magdeburg, Germany.

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On the modern instrument, Jonathan performs extensively as an orchestral musician and recitalist. He has played several times with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, performing with soloist Evgeny Kissin and in Brussels as part of NATO's anniversary celebrations. Jonathan has also appeared with the Brandenburg Sinfonia, performing alongside his former teacher Michael Cox. As part of his ongoing collaboration with flautist Elisabeth Parry and pianist John Alley, Jonathan was a guest performer at Benslow Music in September 2025, highlights of which are available on YouTube.
 

In 2020, Aurea Capra published Jonathan's own composition, The Passage of Time, which won a composition award from the National Flute Association the following year. His new Sonata for Flute & Piano was published in April 2025 and premiered by Michael Cox & Dominic Degavino as part of the Just Flute Festival in Birmingham. The entire sonata has been recorded by London Symphony Orchestra musicians Gareth Davies (Principal Flute) and John Alley (former Principal Keyboard) and is available to view here.​​ Jonathan is delighted that Gareth will be performing the sonata at a number of events over the coming year, including the 2025 Polish Flute Meeting in Katowice and the NFA convention in Portland, Oregon in 2026.

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After lockdown was imposed on the UK as a result of the coronavirus crisis, Jonathan launched the online performance platform Recital Stream, bringing live performance to the living rooms of those in isolation. Recital Stream was featured in The Guardian and on the BBC Music Magazine website, and showcased artists such as flautist Anthony Robb, bassist Sam Suggs and baroque violinists Alana Youssefian and Augusta McKay Lodge. During this period he was also invited to participate in numerous video and socially-distanced projects, including a recording of Charpentier works with Edward Higginbottom, and the Oxford Bach Soloists' epic St John Passion in Isolation.

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A dedicated and sought-after teacher, Jonathan holds teaching positions at Oxford High School, The Abbey School & D'Overbroeck's School as well as some freelance coaching as an early music specialist. He offers some private teaching online and from his home in Didcot, South Oxfordshire, with a particular interest in helping baroque enthusiasts and advanced students find their unique musical voice.

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Jonathan graduated with Distinction from the Master of Arts program at the Royal Academy of Music in 2012, winning a DipRAM performance diploma for his final recital. He was awarded the Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music in 2015 and the Graduate Diploma in Historical Performance from The Juilliard School in 2018. 

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Jonathan has less time for other pursuits than he would like, but particularly loves travel & documentary photography (some examples here), and experiencing the food and culture of new places. He is active on social media and regularly posts flute-based tips and insights from his instagram account @jonathanslademusic