I am trained as a classical violinist, and a self-taught composer. I hold a Bachelor of Music Performance with first class Honours from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Unfortunately I developed focal dystonia in my left hand towards the end of my degree. In 2015, I enrolled in a Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney, majoring in mathematics. Now I have graduated with first class Honours in Pure Mathematics.

Click here to read my series of blogposts on focal dystonia.

Continue reading below to see my ‘official’ biography.

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Jonathan Mui was born in Hong Kong in 1991 and started playing the violin at the age of five. He has studied with internationally renowned teachers such as Prof. Shi-xiang (Peter) Zhang, Charmian Gadd, and Prof. Ole Bøhn. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Music with first class honours from the Sydney Conservatorium. During his studies, he served many times as concertmaster of the Conservatorium Chamber and Symphony orchestras. As a recitalist and chamber musician, he has performed with such artists as Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, Geir Henning Braaten, Daniel Herscovitch, and David Fulmer.

He has won the 2006 Ku-Ring-Gai concerto competition, the 2007 National Youth Concerto competition in Queensland, and first prize and the TimberLay Scholarship at the 2007 Kendall National Violin Competition. The travel scholarship enabled Jonathan to travel to London in December 2007 for private tuition with Prof. Kun Hu at the Royal Academy of Music. In December 2010, Jonathan won first prize at the Gisborne International Music Competition (NZ), and was also a joint winner of the Prize for the Best Interpretation of a NZ Composition. He was invited back to New Zealand in January 2011 to perform at the Australian High Commission in Wellington. Jonathan participated in the Lausanne Summer University chamber music seminars in 2011, and gave solo and chamber music concerts in Oslo at the Vigeland Museum concert series in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He has also performed in Brazil: at the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro in 2011, and later at the Santa Catarina Music Festival in 2014. In 2012 he was also invited to participate at the Carl Nielsen International Competition in Odense (Denmark).

As a member of the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO), he went on the international tour in 2013, performing under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach and with soloist Joshua Bell in such venues as the Sydney Opera House, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Berlin Konzerthaus and the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad. As part of AYO Chamber Players, Jonathan has also performed at the Musica Viva Festival in Sydney in 2013, and received chamber music coaching from Lambert Orkis.

With the onset of focal dystonia in late 2013, Jonathan has unfortunately needed to withdraw from performance. He turned his focus towards teaching, composing and arranging music. In March 2015, Jonathan conducted a program of his own arrangements for a charity concert held at Sydney Town Hall for children with disabilities. He was delighted to accept the Watermark Composition Prize in 2015 for his solo violin piece, Rhapsody No. 2. In February 2017, pianist Nicholas Young gave the world premiere of his Three Concert Pieces for solo piano in the Utzon Room at the Sydney Opera House. In 2018, Jonathan received first class Honours in Pure Mathematics from the University of Sydney, where he now continues to work as a tutor. He has also recently been appointed a maths teacher at Matrix Education.