Jonathan Schlitt – 10 Hour Bach Marathon at Union Station
ADDRESS
Union Station, North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA, USAADDRESS DETAILS
North PatioTIME
March 24, 20183:00 PM - 3:25 PM
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“Growing up in a family of musicians, I grew to love many genres of music. This influenced my decision to pursue learning classical music, as well as jazz, pop, and other “commercialized” styles of music. As I continued my studies throughout high school and college, I found that I loved these two sides of music equally and wanted to continue studying both. The intricate rhythms and beautiful melodies of classical music, along side the unique harmonies and styles of jazz greatly intrigued me as a young artist. This leads me into one of the many reasons why I love the music of J. S. Bach. As a performer, Bach set himself apart from other classical musicians in the way that he could improvise over choral melodies during his years playing organ in the church. Bach was able to do this because of his extensive knowledge of choral harmonies, which made it easy to tastefully play around what the choir was singing. Bach was one of few classical composers who were great at improvising and saw promise in how improvisation can expand the meaning and texture of the written music. As a classical and jazz musician, I love this attribute of Bach. Music can naturally be very divided amongst different genres, but I feel that it is so important to see the value in all music. Bach is a perfect example of someone who loved music and did not limit his music to the standards of the society that surrounded him.” – Jonathan Schlitt
Born and raised in Southern California in a family with an affinity for the arts, Jonathan grew to love music at a young age. He began to take piano lessons in his early elementary school years, learning the fundamentals of music while coupling his natural abilities with a discipline for the craft. While playing piano, Jonathan took interest in percussion and began to study with his father, a professional percussionist who is a seasoned musician as well as an experienced private teacher and university professor on the subject. Jonathan excelled as his student and expanded his musical interests to include piano, percussion, and drum set.
Jonathan has had the opportunity to be involved in the Idyllwild Summer Arts program, Claremont’s Young Musicians Orchestra, All-Southern Jazz Ensembles and Orchestra, performing at such venues as The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, The Hollywood Bowl, and The Motzartium in (Austria). As an aspiring professional musician, Jonathan chose to further his musical education at Azusa Pacific University’s College of Music and the Arts as a Percussion Performance major, studying both classical and commercial percussion and drum set. Jonathan has performed in APU performance ensembles such as the Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combos, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and University Choir and Orchestra. After getting his Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance, Jonathan plans on furthering his education by attending graduate school.
Since graduating from Azusa Pacific University, Jonathan has played with groups such as the Marina Del Ray Symphony, the Rio Hondo Symphony, and has worked as a sideline musician on the television show “Glee”. He has also had the opportunity to study with musical greats such as Raynor Carroll, Mark Converse, Donald Barrett, and John Magnussen. Once he is finished with his Masters Degree, Jonathan strives to become a freelance musician based in Los Angeles while also hoping to inspire and work with the next generation of aspiring percussionists and drummers as a teacher.
www.jonathanschlitt.com
Instagram: @jonschlitt