Originally a violinist, Jonathan Zwi began the classical guitar at the age of 18 when found a passion for the instrument during his undergraduate studies at Indiana University-Bloomington. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree under the direction of José Antonio López, Julio Ribeiro and Ernesto Bitetti.

In addition to his degree in Music, Jonathan also received degrees in Philosophy and Cognitive Science. He was the recipient of several research fellowships at both Indiana and Yale University, and has presented his work at research conferences across the United Sates.  In 2002, he won a grant from the NIH to conduct research on the structural connectivity of the macaque cerebral cortex with Dr. Olaf Sporns, with whom he co-authored a paper that was subsequently published in Neuroinformatics.

In June of 2007, Jonathan moved to Brazil to focus on the guitar and re-identify with his heritage and in July he won first place in the 1st Eustáquio Grilo International Guitar Competition. As part of his award he toured Brazil, performing concerts in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia.

During his time in Brazil, Jonathan was a student at the School of Music at the Federal University of Bahia under the guidance of Mario Ulloa. He was also enrolled in the University’s School of Fine Arts, specializing in printmaking, silkscreen and photography, and has shown his work in various exhibits and galleries throughout Salvador, Bahia. He has continued to exhibit his work upon returning to the United States.

Currently at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, Jonathan is the Graduate Assistant in Guitar to Manuel Barrueco and in Musicology to Dr. Elizabeth Tolbert.  He has been the recipient of the Richard Franko Goldman Prize for Performance as well as the Presser Foundation Award.  He completed his Master’s degree under the guidance of Ray Chester and is currently pursuing a Graduate Performance Diploma under Manuel Barrueco.