Jonathan Sturm is one of a rare few musicians who can bring excellence to the complete spectrum of music: performance as a violin soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster of the Des Moines Symphony, as a violist in the internationally acclaimed Ames Piano Quartet, and as professor of Music History at Iowa State University.
He has recital and concerto appearances across the United States, and in Russia, South Africa, Cuba, and Albania to his credit, maintaining a typical annual schedule of 30-40 concerts. With the Ames Piano Quartet he has been represented by Joanne Rile Artist Management since 1998, has recorded eight internationally released compact discs on the Dorian/Sono Luminus, and Albany labels, has been heard on the St. Paul Sunday, and Performance Today radio programs, and performs annually on national concert series. In 2010, he began his twentieth season as concertmaster of the Des Moines Symphony, with which he has been invited to solo more often than any guest artist over his tenure.
At Iowa State University, Sturm was awarded the 2009 Excellence in Teaching Award in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. As a private violin teacher, his students consistently win competitions, providing them opportunities to perform with orchestras in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Many of his younger students have graduated to attend major conservatories, including Indiana University, New England Conservatory, The Eastman School of Music and Oberlin. He has been on the summer faculty of Madeline Island and Stringwood music festivals.
When not performing, Dr. Sturm has been in demand as a presenter at national conferences, has published numerous articles and book reviews for encyclopedias and journals, and has a forthcoming chapter in a book on Faust in music to be published by Oxford University Press.