| Birth Name: | Jonathan Matthew Estabrooks |
| Birth Date: | July 15, 1983 |
| Birth Place: | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Instrument: | Baritone |
| Genre: | Opera, classical-crossover musical theatre |
| Occupation: | Singer, executive producer, director, musician, actor |
| Years Active: | 1990–present |
| Background: | solo_singer |
Jonathan Estabrooks (born 1983) is a Canadian record producer, filmmaker, trained Operatic baritone, and graduate of the Juilliard School. He has produced and mixed over 75 albums today in the classical, jazz and crossover genres. He was executive producer and creator of Artists for the Arts, a charity single and music video in support of Americans for the Arts in their efforts to save the National Endowment for the Arts[1] He was active in the Canadian and American opera, concert and musical theatre worlds and on YouTube.
On June 14, 2024, it was announced that he was a lead producer on Aaron Lazar's debut solo album, IMPOSSIBLE DREAM. The nine-song duets album will be released on August 23 including Lazar performing with Josh Groban on Sting's “Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot”; Neil Patrick Harris on “Fight the Dragons” from Big Fish; Leslie Odom Jr. on “Get Happy/Happy Days,” from The Nine Fifteen Review; Kelli O’Hara on Leonard Bernstein’s “Make Our Garden Grow”; the late Rebecca Luker on Cole Porter's “I Am Loved”; Norm Lewis on “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt; Kate Baldwin on “I'd Give It All For You” from Songs for a New World; and Loren Allred (The Greatest Showman) on Rodgers and Hammerstein's “You'll Never Walk Alone.” [2]
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Estabrooks began his musical training as a member of the Opera Lyra Ottawa Boys Choir and Opera Lyra Chorus.[3] He first sang with orchestra in 1994 as the Shepherd Boy in Tosca by Puccini.[4] In 1993 he joined the Company of Musical Theatre, appearing is such productions as Annie, Oliver!, the Will Rogers Follies and West Side Story.[5]
In October 1999, he sang as part of a vocal quartet for the opening of a new US Embassy in Ottawa, Ontario for then President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien.[6]
He earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto in 2006 and his Masters of Music from the Juilliard School in 2009, where he was a student of Marlena Malas. He is a graduate of Ashbury College. He has coached with Brian Zeger, Joan Dornemann, Craig Rutenberg, Margo Garrett, Nico Castel, Joan Dornemann and Denise Massé.
Estabrooks sang with the Juilliard Orchestra for the New York Premiere of Siarra, a work for baritone and orchestra as part of the 2009 Juilliard Focus Festival.[7] Estabrooks was a finalist in the 2007 Bryan Law Opera Competition[8] and the 2009 Lyndon Woodside Solo Competition[9] performed at Carnegie Hall.
He made his National Arts Centre Orchestra debut in 2007,[10] with Pinchas Zukerman conducting and his National Arts Centre recital debut in 2009.[3] [11] [12]
Estabrooks was the baritone soloist in Brahms' Eine Deutsches Requiem with Coro Vivo Ottawa in 2008[13] and has also performed with the Kennett Symphony of Chester County[14] and the Aldeburgh Connection[15] recital series. He was also a 2009 finalist in the Brian Law Opera Scholarship in Ottawa sponsored by the National Capital Opera Society.[16] He appeared with pianist Joel Harder at the Caramoor Festival, presenting three concerts for the Holiday Musicale series at the Rosen House.[17]
On June 19, 2009 in Ottawa, he made his National Arts Centre Recital debut with soprano Meghan McPhee as participants in the NAC Summer Music Institute.[18] Other recent credits include performances with the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, and a 20-city tour in L’Elisir d’Amore with Jeunesses Musicales. In April, at New York's Weill Recital Hall, Estabrooks won the top prize in a competition presented by the Oratorio Society of New York.[19]
Estabrooks made his Opera Lyra Ottawa main-stage debut in the role of Silvio in September 2011 at the National Arts Centre.[19] [20] He debuted with the Greenwich Choral Society singing the baritone solo for In Terra Pax and a world premiere by composer Rob Mathes.[21] [22]
He made his Toronto Symphony Orchestra debut on October 9 and 10, 2012 with conductor Steven Reineke in a program entitled "Some Enchanted Evening: The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein" with Broadway stars Ashley Brown and Aaron Lazar.[23] He returned to Roy Thomson Hall with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on May 20 and 21, 2014 to perform in Classical Broadway: Lerner and Loewe.[24]
On March 5, 2013, Estabrooks made his Carnegie Hall-Stern Auditorium Debut with conductor Kent Tritle and the Oratorio Society of New York in the New York premiere of Paul Moravec's Blizzard Voices.[25]
He appeared as the Baron in the Opera Lyra Ottawa production of La Traviata on March 21 and 23, 2013 with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Corrine Winters, Eric Magiore, Marion Newman, Gregory Dahl and conductor Tyrone Paterson.[26]
On July 15, 2013, Estabrooks successfully raised US$25,730 on the funding website Kickstarter for the recording of his debut album with orchestra.[27] Titled These Miles, it was released on April 8, 2014. Collaborations included tenor Jonathan Antoine, formerly of the duo Jonathan and Charlotte, and New Age classical pianist and composer Jennifer Thomas (pianist). It was produced by Dave Reitzas, Oran Eldor and himself.[27]
On November 21 and 22, 2014, Estabrooks made his debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with Steven Reineke, tenor David Curry, and soprano Amy Wallis.[28]
In March 2015, he made his debut with the Seattle Symphony with conductor Steven Reineke in a program titled Some Enchanted Evening: A Rodgers & Hammerstein Celebration with Broadway stars Ashley Brown and Aaron Lazar.[29]
On September 24, 2015, he played the lead role of Bum Phillips in Bum Phillips All American Opera. The performance marked the opera's Houston premiere at the Stafford Township Arts Center and a benefit for the Dan Pastorini charity.[30]
On March 7, 2017, executive producer Estabrooks, producer Michael J. Moritz Jr., Broadway orchestrator Charlie Rosen, and producer Van Dean of Broadway Records gathered performers for a single and video to benefit Americans for the Arts. Their gospel-tinged cover of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" was released on March 23, 2017. Participating artists included Annie Golden, Chris Mann and Peter Hollens; Broadway stars Telly Leung, Lexi Lawson, Liz Callaway, Ektor Rivera, Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton), Lillias White, Aaron Lazar, Ashley Brown, Carmen Cusack, Cass Dillon, Lauren Jelencovich (Yanni Vocalist), and Noah Stewart; spoken word artists Taylor Mali, Trace DePass, and Shanelle Gabriel; cabaret stars Natalie Douglas and KT Sullivan; and a pop chorus of 50 accompanied by full orchestra.
In October 2019, Estabrooks created the role of Mat Burke in the world premiere production of Anna Christie, a music drama based on the Eugene O'Neill play. It was composed by Edward Thomas with libretto by Joseph Masteroff and produced by Encompass New Opera Theatre at Baruch College Performing Arts Centre. A recording with the original cast, produced by Thomas Z. Shepard and conducted by Julian Wachner, with the orchestra NOVUS New York, was released by Broadway Records on August 16, 2019. It was a collaboration of Trinity Church and Encompass New Opera Theatre, and it debuted at #6 on the Billboard classical album chart.[31]
On September 15, 2020, The NYC center produced a celebration of the late Jessye Norman on what would have been the operatic soprano's 75th birthday. It was produced in partnership by Kenneth Overton, Jonathan Estabrooks, Miranda Plant, and Ras Dia. Artists included Emmy nominee Laverne Cox, Pulitzer Prize finalist Anna Deavere Smith, J'Nai Bridges, Harolyn Blackwell, Martina Arroyo, Simon Estes, Damien Sneed, George Shirley, Measha Brueggergosman, Krysty Swann, Karen Slack, Chauncey Packer, John Holiday, Audrey DuBois-Harris, Sidney Outlaw, Justin Austin, Brandie Sutton, and Russell Thomas, plus Norman's family and students from the Jessye Norman School of the Arts.[32]
In July 2021, Jonathan joined Emitha LLC as a producer and vice president of production.[33] Jonathan has produced and mixed over 30 albums in the classical, crossover and jazz fields, including such distinguished artists as multi-Grammy® award winning baritone Will Liverman, Grammy®-winning choir the National Children's Chorus, Tamara Wilson, Grammy® winning mezzo-sopranos Isabel Leonard and Sasha Cooke and the New York Festival of Song.
Lament, produced by Mr. Estabrooks for baritone Sidney Outlaw and Warren Jones, reached #2 on the Billboard Traditional Classical chart.[34]
On June 14, 2024 it was announced that broadway star Aaron Lazar, recently diagnosed with ALS, would release a star-studded album entitled IMPOSSIBLE DREAM after the idea was proposed to him by Estabrooks. Produced by Kitt Wakeley, Jonathan Estabrooks, Aaron Lazar, Christina Giacona, David Das and Patrick Conlon, it will release on August 23, 2024 featuring duets with Lazar and a who's who of Broadway stars—including Josh Groban, Kelli O’Hara, Leslie Odom, Jr., Neil Patrick Harris, Kate Baldwin, Norm Lewis, Loren Allred and joining them on the title track are Kristin Chenoweth, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sting, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and more than 50 other performers.[35]
These Miles
Independent (CD: April 8, 2014, ASIN: B00IT4YEFQ) [36]
With a Little Help from My Friends - Single
Broadway Records (Single: March 2017, ASIN: B06XQ7GHYC) [37]
Anna Christie: World Premiere Recording
Broadway Records (CD: August 16, 2019, ASIN: B07TNVX4RT) [38]
Disc: 1
Disc: 2