Singaporean violinist Jonathan Ong is a member of the internationally acclaimed Verona Quartet. An accomplished soloist and chamber musician, his playing has been lauded for its “ineffable sweetness” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). He actively concertizes throughout the world, appearing in major venues such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Hong Kong City Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. He is a recipient of Chamber Music America’s 2020 Cleveland Quartet Award in recognition of his quartet’s achievements in the field of chamber music, and serves on the faculty of the Oberlin College & Conservatory as Artist Teacher of Violin.

Jonathan was recently appointed Co-Director of Credo Music’s Oberlin String Quartet Institute in Ohio, and additionally holds faculty positions at the ENCORE Chamber Music Institute as well as the Singapore Chamber Music Festival. He has taught and given masterclasses at institutions and festivals such as Indiana University, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, La Jolla Summerfest, Anchorage Chamber Music Festival and the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance.

Jonathan’s recordings with the Quartet can be found on Azica Records, Bright Shiny Things Records and Dynamic Records. The quartet’s second album, “Shatter”, debuted in June 2023 at No. 1 on the U.S. Classical Billboard Charts, and was lauded for its “transportive quality” and “captivating playing” (BBC Music Magazine); their latest album, featuring the complete string quartets of György Ligeti, was released on the Italian label Dynamic Records in December 2023.

Jonathan completed his undergraduate and graduate work at the Eastman School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and furthered his studies with his quartet at Indiana University, The Juilliard School and the New England Conservatory. He counts among his mentors Donald Weilerstein, Alexander Kerr, Paul Kantor, and Lynn Blakeslee, and he studied chamber music with members of Cleveland, Juilliard and Pacifica Quartets, among others. His numerous accolades include top prize wins at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition in Texas and the Singapore National Violin Competition. Along with his quartet, Jonathan won major prizes at prestigious international competitions including the Concert Artists Guild, Wigmore Hall, Osaka, Chesapeake, Coleman and Fischoff competitions.