PROFILE
Dr Jonathan Fitzgerald
Started at UWA: 2016
Preparing the next generation of classical guitarists
It’s really a privilege to have the opportunity to work with highly motivated students on amazing music each week. I can't imagine a more satisfying career.Dr Jonathan Fitzgerald
Dr Jonathan Fitzgerald is an internationally recognised performer and teacher, and Chair of Guitar at the UWA Conservatorium of Music. Past concert highlights include performances with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, WA Opera, radio performances for ABC Radio National and RTRFM, in addition to solo recitals across the United States and Australia.
A recipient of the Jack L. Frank Award for Excellence in Teaching, FABLE Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the UWA Guild Students' Choice Award, Jonathan is a dedicated educator deeply committed to the success of his students. One of his primary aims has been to create performance opportunities outside the walls of the University, organising regular performances and concert tours across WA and interstate, making the UWA Guitar Studio among the most active in the country.
Jonathan received his formal education in the United States, studying with some of the world's foremost musicians. He had the privilege of learning under classical guitar virtuoso and Grammy Award winner Jason Vieaux while earning Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Dr Nicholas Goluses and world renowned lutenist Paul O'Dette while undertaking doctoral studies at the Eastman School of Music. Jonathan considers it an honour and a responsibility to carry on the legacy of the teachers who have so profoundly shaped him as a musician.
Museums and Galleries National Award for Interpretation, Learning and Audience Engagement, 2017
UWA Student Guild Students' Choice Award (Sem 1 and Sem 2), 2018
Audience Choice Prize, Great Lakes International Guitar Competition, 2011
FABLE Award for Excellence in Teaching (Early Career), 2019
Music unearths cemetery stories
Musician Jonathan Fitzgerald has been inspired by his time among the tombstones at the hilltop site near the CBD, the final resting place for more than 10,000 early settlers.
Read moreJonathan Fitzgerald: Turning off “the dude”
Jonathan Fitzgerald received some expert advice as an undergrad: “Turn off the dude”. We all have one: it’s the voice in our minds that tells us when we’re hot and when we’re not – and we give it so much power in our live performances.
Read moreVoyces - Berceuse (with Jonathan Fitzgerald)
I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with not only our highly motivated and enthusiastic students, but also my amazing and supportive colleagues at the UWA Conservatorium. They make this a very satisfying and rewarding place to teach.Dr Jonathan Fitzgerald
Performance highlights
UWA Guitar Studio Concert for Melbourne Guitar Foundation
A collection of concert highlights from a performance by the University of Western Australia's Guitar Studio for the Melbourne Guitar Foundation.
Read moreManuel Ponce: Sonata No. 3, III. Allegro non troppo
Jonathan Fitzgerald performing in Hatch Hall at the Eastman School of Music.
Read moreGuitar at UWA
The guitar studio at the UWA Conservatorium of Music is among the most active in the country. In 2017 the guitar studio performed 12 concerts across WA and interstate, including a concert tour of the South West and a performance in Melbourne hosted by the Melbourne Guitar Foundation. In 2018, UWA launched the first Perth International Classical Guitar Festival, bringing together national and international artists over five days of concerts, masterclasses, workshops and demonstrations. Now in 2019, the guitar studio embarks on its fourth annual tour of Western Australia's South West and Great Southern, combines with talented high school students from across WA to perform the Australian premiere of Terry Riley's "Y Bolanzero", joins forces with Piñata Percussion to present a concert of rarely performed works for guitar and percussion, among many other concerts and performance opportunities. Over the course of the degree program, students will hone their performance abilities and develop skills in interpretation, programming, arranging, ensemble performance and pedagogy.
