©Photo: Tuomas Tenkane

Jonathan Roozeman

Cello

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“Jonathan Roozeman proved a virtuoso”
(New York Times)

Finnish-Dutch cellist and rising star, Jonathan Roozeman is already establishing himself as a player of exceptional musical integrity. His phenomenal, expansive, and versatile sound lends itself not only to works of the core classical repertory, but those by Kabalevsky, Kokkonen and Vieuxtemps amongst others. He has regular collaborations with conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Osmo Vänskä, Dima Slobodeniouk, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Santtu-Matias Rouvali.

In the 2022/23 season, Roozeman collaborates with the choreographer, Saburo Teshigawara, on a production at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater Concert Hall in Nagoya based around solo works by Bach, Kodaly and Cassado. He will also be performing at the ARK Classics Festival in Tokyo. He will work with acclaimed orchestras such as Tampere Philharmonic/Matthew Halls, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra/Julien Masmondet, returns to the Gulbenkian Foundation while also making his recital debut at the Concertgebouw with pianist, Varvara.

In recital he has appeared at the Berlin Konzerthaus as part of Sir András Schiff’s residency, as well as giving a debut recital tour in Canada which included the prestigious Vancouver Recital Series. Other highlights include London’s Baroque at the Edge festival and the Ark Hills Festival in Tokyo.

In previous seasons Jonathan has given a series of performances of Mania by Esa-Pekka Salonen as part of a project between the Sibelius Academy and the Juilliard School of Music under the baton of the composer in Helsinki, at the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm and at New York’s Lincoln Center.

The youngest prize winner at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2015, Roozeman also became a finalist at the Naumburg International Cello Competition in the same year. He was a finalist at the Porto Premio Suggia in 2013 as well as reaching the semi-finals of the International Paulo Cello competition in Finland and taking second prize at the National Cello Competition in The Netherlands in 2012.

Roozeman was previously a student of Martti Rousi at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki and graduated in July 2020 from the Kronberg Academy under Frans Helmerson. He plays a David Tecchler cello c.1707 on loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation and his bow was made by Jean Pierre Marie Persoit in Paris, c.1850.

HarrisonParrott represents Jonathan Roozeman for worldwide general management.

J.S. Bach Suite No.5 for Solo Cello in C minor – IV. Sarabande © Saburo Teshigawara & Rihoko Sato

Cassadó Suite for Solo Cello: I. Prelude – Fantasia © Saburo Teshigawara & Rihoko Sato

Jonathan Roozeman: Kabalevsky Cello Concerto No.1: Movement 1 © Philharmonie Zuidnederlands/Anthony Hermus

Saint-Saens: Carnival des Animaux © Philharmonie Zuidnederlands/Anthony Hermus

Jonathan Roozeman - Barber: Cello Concerto, 2nd movement. Helsinki Philharmonic and Osmo Vänskä © Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra2019

Jonathan Roozeman - Kabalevsky: Cello Concerto No.1 in G minor, 1st movement (Excerpt) BBC Symphony Orchestra and Dalia Stasevska © BBC Symphony Orchestra_2018

Jonathan Roozeman – Esa-Pekka Salonen: Mania (Excerpt) © Sibelius Academy of Helsinki and the Juilliard School / Esa-Pekka Salon

Jonathan Roozeman – Johann Sebastian Bach: Sarabande (Excerpt) © areena.yle.fi/tv

Jonathan Roozeman - Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations (Excerpt) © Finnish Radio SO/Dima Slobodeniouk, areena.yle.fi/tv

“Sallinen’s ‘Nocturnal dances of Don Juan Quixote’ for cello and chamber orchestra is an incredibly funny piece, in which the jazzy strings of the orchestra met Jonathan Roozeman’s unmatched cello virtuosity in a relaxed way.”

(Aamulehti, December 2017)

“Throughout he showed astonishing focus, in a work that requires the soloist to summon up virtually non-stop energy”

(The Strad, December 2017)

“…the soloist here, Jonathan Roozeman, a young Finnish-Dutch cellist, proved a virtuoso himself. Then he wowed listeners with the finale of Gaspar Cassadó’s Suite for Cello”

(New York Times, James R. Oestreich, Performing Salonen’s Mania, Lincoln Center, September 2017)

“Roozeman’s interpretation of the concerto (Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1) was very impressive. The slow movement and the cadenza were incomparably beautiful in their lyrical sensitivity. From the final, with its folk melodies, speed and brilliance were found.”

(Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, May 2017)

“Flowing brilliance — Jonathan Roozeman’s approach was characterized by sensitivity and discernment, a warm sound, and great technical capability. And all this seems to be deceptively easy.”

(Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, February 2017)

“Judging from the applause, the hearts of the audience were taken by 18-year-old cellist Jonathan Roozeman. In Tchaikovsky’s Rococo variants, he equally fascinated with light agility and intense emotion.”

(Helsingin Sanomat, March 2016)