en français Born and raised in Arlington, Texas, Jonathan started his piano studies with Carolyn Savko at the age of five. Under the tutelage of Carol Leone, Jonathan earned a Bachelors of Music with Honors at the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University (SMU). While at SMU, he was the recipient of the van Katwijk Award, the Roy and Sue Johnson Award, and the Mu Phi Epsilon Award. Jonathan entered l’Université de Montréal in 2005 as a Masters of Music student of Marc Durand, and through an accelerated program received his doctorate in 2009.

Jonathan has participated in the TCU/Cliburn Piano Institute in Fort Worth, Le Centre d’arts Orford in Quebec, and the Banff International Keyboard Festival. Through these institutes Jonathan has received instruction from some of the premier musicians from around the world, including Joaquín Achúcarro, Boris Berman, Jerome Lowenthal, John Perry, Boris Petrushansky, Abbey Simon, Arnold Steinhardt, and Tamas Ungar.

Jonathan has remained active as a chamber musician; he was the first pianist to participate in The Institute for Strings, a chamber music intensive program founded by Dallas Symphony Orchestra violinist Jan Sloman. Of an appearance in a concert with violinist Stirling Trent, Scott Cantrell (The Dallas Morning News) writes: “Their impeccable performance... was the afternoon’s highlight.” Jonathan has been a featured soloist with orchestras including the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra, the Houston School for the Performing and Visual Arts Orchestra, and the Meadows Symphony Orchestra.

First prize in the 4th annual Concours de musique de Repentigny (2006), Jonathan made his Canadian solo debut during the following concert season. He was a top prizewinner in the collegiate division of the Janice K. Hodges Contemporary Piano Performance Award, and was also a top prizewinner in both solo and concerto divisions of the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA) piano competitions. He is also the winner of the South Central division of the 2004-2005 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artists Piano competition and was a national finalist. Recent and upcoming performances include repeat appearances in Musical Awakenings, a series of educational recitals sponsored by the Van Cliburn Foundation, and a performance with Dallas new music ensemble Voices of Change.

Jonathan’s other musical backgrounds include violin studies with Irene Lau, percussion studies with Joey Carter, composition studies with Simon Sargon and David Karp, and conducting lessons with Jack Delaney and Paul Phillips. Jonathan served as pianist, violinist, violist, and percussionist for the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra, where he also won the Young Artists’ Award.

Jonathan has composed scores to multiple documentaries; most recently he wrote music for Parker Brown’s exploration into college smoking entitled DRAG, which can be found on internet podcasts and public broadcasts throughout the US. Jonathan's recordings can be found in Brahms - A Listener's Guide: Unlocking the Masters Series, published by Amadeus Press and available on amazon.com. A CD featuring the works of Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Debussy, Liszt, and Muczynski will be available worldwide May 2009.

Jonathan also participated in various extra-curricular activities including football, track-and-field, and Teen Court. He was a three-time winner of the Eagle Award, given out yearly to the top competitor in the Traditional Karate League. In his spare time, Jonathan enjoys playing football, maintaining his website (www.jonathantsay.com), and watching cartoons. His long-term goals include purchasing a small island at the US/Canadian border with his close friends and building a summer haven there.

Principal Teachers
Carolyn Savko, Carol Leone, Marc Durand

Private Lessons
Joaquín Achúcarro, Alessio Bax, Jimmy Brière, Christopher Elton, Jose Feghali, Andre Laplante, John Owings, Robert McDonald, Boris Petrushansky, Paul Stewart

Masterclasses
Arnulf von Arnim, Maurizio Baglini, Joseph Banowetz, Boris Berman, Hans Boepple, Henri Brassard, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Phillip Kawin, David Korevaar, Krassimira Jordan, Anton Kuerti, Jerome Lowenthal, Harold Martina, Alfred Mouledous, John Perry, Abbey Simon, Wolfgang Watzinger, William Wolfwram, Tamas Ungar

Chamber Music
Chris Adkins, Bernadene Blaha, Denis Brott, Henk Guittart, Jamie Parker, Stephen Prutsman, Nathaniel Rosen, Philip Setzer, Rebecca Seiver, Barry Shiffman, Jan Sloman, Mark Steinberg, Arnold Steinhardt, Ko Iwasaki