Jonah Ellsworth

Jonah Ellsworth was appointed to the Boston Symphony Orchestra cello section in February 2023. Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ellsworth started playing the cello at age 5. He received his bachelor and master of music degrees from the New England Conservatory and a master of musical arts degree from Yale School of Music. His principal teachers have included Laurence Lesser, Kim Kashkashian, Lluís Claret, Natasha Brofsky, Andrew Mark, Peter Wiley, and Paul Watkins. At Yale, he was awarded the Aldo Parisot Prize and the Yale School of Music Alumni Association Prize. Ellsworth was featured as soloist in BSO Family Concerts as a winner of the orchestra’s Concerto Competition; other solo appearances with orchestra include those with the Boston Philharmonic, Akron Symphony, Symphony by the Sea, and the New England Conservatory Philharmonia. In 2016, Jonah filled in for Nicolas Altstaedt on 72 hours’ notice to play the Schumann Cello Concerto with the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida. He toured Europe as soloist in 2015 with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, alternating solo performances with Natalia Gutman. He has participated in such music festivals as the Marlboro, Verbier, and Rockport music festivals, the Steans Institute of Ravinia, Music@Menlo, and Orford Musique Academy. Ellsworth has devoted much of his professional life honing his skills as a chamber musician. Since joining the Boston Trio in 2016, he has performed with the ensemble in some of the most prestigious concert venues in the United States, including Carnegie Hall, Newport Music Hall, and Jordan Hall.