Jonathan Swensen has captured First Prizes at the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, 2018 Khachaturian International Cello Competition, and 2019 Windsor International String Competition. In his native Denmark, he was recipient of the Jacob Gades Scholarship in 2019, the Léonie Sonning Talent Prize in 2017, and the First Prize at the 2016 Danish String Competition. Mr. Swensen made his concerto debut in 2017, performing the Elgar Cello Concerto with Portugal’s Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música. Since then, he has appeared with orchestras including the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, the Venice State Symphony Orchestra, the Denmark’s Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, and Poland’s NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra. He is also a frequent performer at festivals in Denmark, including the Schubertiaden, the Copenhagen Summer Festival and the Hindsgavl Summer Festival. During the 2019-20 season, Mr. Swensen had his debuts with the Copenhagen Philharmonic, Phiharmonia Orchestra at Windsor Castle, and Sun Symphony Orchestra in Vietnam, and a reengagement with Denmark’s Aarhus Symphony Orchestra. Recital and chamber music appearances include a return to Armenia to take part in the Khachaturian Festival in Yerevan, the Usedomer Musikfestival in Germany, the Tivoli Festival in Copenhagen and his South Korean debut at the Seoul Arts Centre. In the United States this season, the Young Concert Artists Series presents Mr. Swensen’s recital debuts in New York on the Michaels Award Concert at Merkin Concert Hall, and in Washington, DC on the Alexander Kasza-Kasser Concert at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. He also appears at the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Levine School of Music, Port Washington (NY) Library and University of Florida. A graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Jonathan Swensen currently studies with Professor Torleif Thedéen at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. 

During the times of Corona, Jonathan has done extensive work in making festivals, according to the rules in his home country, Denmark. He has made an extensive series of Bach Suites - and a 20th century work for solocello, for an audience of 8 people. This idea has now bloomed into a chamber music festival, which is called "Festival & Friends", a festival starting in the summer of 

2020. It has been important to Jonathan to let the musiclovers know, that live music is still possible during times of crisis, and much needed.