Jonathan Roth > booking

Guitarist, Jonathan Roth, played a beautiful program yesterday at Grace United Methodist Church. It was a perfectly crafted balance in programming, so well thought-out for a music-loving church audience. He started with classics, some of which would be familiar even to the casual classical radio listener. As a singer, conductor and voice teacher, I watch for artful and efficient use of the body as a musical instrument, and physical tension is distracting at best and harmful to the artist at worst. Jonathan's studies with Christopher Parkening and other master-teachers have served him very well. He plays with the same kind of flexibility, absence of tension, fluidity of body movement, and whole-person artistry that one expects in a great singer. The instrument - in Jonathan's masterful hands - lent itself beautifully to the romantically spicy flavors of the Mediterranean world, evoking ancient Spanish and Moorish roots that carried the imagination to places more exotic and sunny than rainy Naperville. The French pieces were equally fitting to the artist and the instrument. Satie's Gymnopedie and Ravel's Empress of the Pagodas were deftly and delicately delivered like a fine amuse-bouche. The second half of the program was about equal parts hymn transcriptions and original compositions. The hymns were played with sensitivity and fitting reverence for the subject, and offered moments of holy contemplation. Roth's own compositions are strong enough to hold their own alongside the other fine programming. They might be aptly called crossover music, and they do have a popular-sounding appeal. That they were rendered with the same artist's touch as the time-tested masterworks speaks to their substance. I am looking forward to including Jonathan's compositions in my Thanksgiving day playlist - it's simply music that you want to have with where there is love and warmth. Jonathan's concert comments were perfect for our setting. He doesn't talk about music in a formal or dull manner. He speaks as a young artist who introduces his listeners to his music as he might introduce good friends. There were some good laughs along the way, and I sensed that our intimate gathering felt truly welcomed and engaged. I liked that Jonathan chooses to wear comfortable casual attire. It might be a reflection of his generation's redefinition of "the rules", but when the artistry and discipline are right where they need to be, I love the feeling that the audience can come as they are and be given the artist's best work. The warm and genuine applause confirmed that the audience agreed. As a Christian who works in the fine arts, I was pleased to see that Jonathan's faith was evident in the programming and comments, but in a fully organic way. When the subject same up, it was a natural part of Roth's conversation with the audience. There was no contrived message other than the message that is seen and heard by observing an artist - who happens to be a Christian - exercise his gifts and calling with authenticity.

-Dan Wagner, Concert Series Director at Grace United Methodist Church (Naperville, IL)


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Guitarist, Jonathan Roth, played a beautiful program yesterday at Grace United Methodist Church. It was a perfectly crafted balance in programming, so well thought-out for a music-loving church audience. He started with classics, some of which would be familiar even to the casual classical radio listener. As a singer, conductor and voice teacher, I watch for artful and efficient use of the body as a musical instrument, and physical tension is distracting at best and harmful to the artist at worst. Jonathan's studies with Christopher Parkening and other master-teachers have served him very well. He plays with the same kind of flexibility, absence of tension, fluidity of body movement, and whole-person artistry that one expects in a great singer. The instrument - in Jonathan's masterful hands - lent itself beautifully to the romantically spicy flavors of the Mediterranean world, evoking ancient Spanish and Moorish roots that carried the imagination to places more exotic and sunny than rainy Naperville. The French pieces were equally fitting to the artist and the instrument. Satie's Gymnopedie and Ravel's Empress of the Pagodas were deftly and delicately delivered like a fine amuse-bouche. The second half of the program was about equal parts hymn transcriptions and original compositions. The hymns were played with sensitivity and fitting reverence for the subject, and offered moments of holy contemplation. Roth's own compositions are strong enough to hold their own alongside the other fine programming. They might be aptly called crossover music, and they do have a popular-sounding appeal. That they were rendered with the same artist's touch as the time-tested masterworks speaks to their substance. I am looking forward to including Jonathan's compositions in my Thanksgiving day playlist - it's simply music that you want to have with where there is love and warmth. Jonathan's concert comments were perfect for our setting. He doesn't talk about music in a formal or dull manner. He speaks as a young artist who introduces his listeners to his music as he might introduce good friends. There were some good laughs along the way, and I sensed that our intimate gathering felt truly welcomed and engaged. I liked that Jonathan chooses to wear comfortable casual attire. It might be a reflection of his generation's redefinition of "the rules", but when the artistry and discipline are right where they need to be, I love the feeling that the audience can come as they are and be given the artist's best work. The warm and genuine applause confirmed that the audience agreed. As a Christian who works in the fine arts, I was pleased to see that Jonathan's faith was evident in the programming and comments, but in a fully organic way. When the subject same up, it was a natural part of Roth's conversation with the audience. There was no contrived message other than the message that is seen and heard by observing an artist - who happens to be a Christian - exercise his gifts and calling with authenticity. -Dan Wagner, Concert Series Director at Grace United Methodist Church (Naperville, IL)
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