Jonathan Gunn

Clarinetist Jonathan Gunn is a versatile artist with a varied career as educator, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Appointed by Maestro Paavo Järvi to the position of Associate Principal and Eb Clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 2004, Mr. Gunn then served as Principal Clarinet from 2011 to 2016. Prior to joining the Cincinnati Symphony, he was the Principal Clarinetist of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Mr. Gunn has also performed as Guest Principal Clarinet with the Chicago, Houston, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras and Houston Grand Opera among others.

Mr. Gunn has participated in numerous music festivals including Tanglewood, Aspen, Bard, and St. Bart's and is the Principal Clarinetist of the Sunflower and Buzzard’s Bay Music Festivals. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the Wheeling Symphony and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic as well as Sunflower and Buzzard’s Bay. Mr. Gunn was featured at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest performing the Copland Clarinet Concerto and has performed internationally as soloist and recitalist including recent performances in China, Thailand, Taiwan and Canada.

Committed to the education of the next generation of clarinetists, Mr. Gunn gives masterclasses and recitals around the world, and has served on the faculties of the Buffet-Crampon Summer Academy, the Aria International Summer Academy, the National Youth Orchestra of the USA and Round Top Music Festival. Currently, Mr. Gunn serves as the Associate Professor of Clarinet at the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining the faculty at The University of Texas, he served on the faculty at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Mr. Gunn can be heard on countless Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops recordings on the Telarc and Fanfare Cincinnati labels. He can also be heard on Ablaze records, his debut solo album of French clarinet repertoire with pianist, Anton Nel on Centaur Records and, most recently, the Corigliano Clarinet Concerto with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble on the Reference Recordings label.

Mr. Gunn is a D’Addario Artist and Musician Advisor, a Buffet Group USA Performing Artist and plays exclusively on Buffet-Crampon clarinets.