Some of the great joys across many Performance Series seasons have been those moments, just minutes into the concert, when you realize you’re in the presence of extraordinary new talent already on the way to great achievement and stardom. Think Peter Cincotti, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Feinstein, Mandy Patinkin, Rhiannon Giddons, Chris Thile, and Jon Batiste, to name a few. 

Well, here comes another one! Meet Jonathan Dely, one of the jazz world’s most exciting new trumpeters, whose live concerts featuring his All-Star Band are playing in venues across the country including Blue Note NYC, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Django, Highline Ballroom, and the Princeton Club of New York, where he serves as Artist in Residence, The NAMM Show in Los Angeles, and SFJazz in San Francisco. 

A graduate of Williams College on a career path into finance, Jonathan declined a full-time, six-figure investment banking position on Wall Street to pursue his love of music and performing as a solo trumpet artist. His journey from Wall Street to the stage is the subject of the 2023 short film Goodbye Jonathan’s Soul, directed by legendary filmmaker Bob Giraldi, featuring Jonathan as lead actor and composer. 

To watch Jonathan on stage balance his identity as both a performing artist and a former Wall Streeter is like watching a coming-of-age story in concert. He is an extraordinary talent and a remarkable young man. A star in the making.

— John Znidarsic, Presenter at Lincoln Center