BIOGRAPHY

Estonian-American Jonas Tarm (b. 1994) has drawn widespread recognition for his musical compositions. That’s included a National YoungArts Foundation award, a first place in the Music Teachers National Association’s 50-state composition contest and multiple other awards.

Jonas’s works have been performed at venues around the world, such as Miami’s New World Center, Beijing Forbidden City Concert Hall in China, Merkin Concert Hall in New York, Altenhof Kuhhaus in Germany, Pärnu Music Festival in Estonia and many more. His music has been commissioned by, among others, the Tallinn Philharmonic Society, New York Virtuoso Singers, Chicago Beethoven Festival and the Estonian Composer’s Union. Jonas’s music has also been frequently heard on Chicago’s 98.7 WFMT classical radio station and Estonia’s ERR Classical Radio. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory in Boston with honors in composition. At NEC, he studied composition with Stratis Minakakis, Anthony Coleman and John Mallia.

Jonas started studying music in Estonia, where he was born. At age 7, he started violin studies at Tallinn’s Vanalinna Hariduskolleegium, and also sang in one of the school’s boys choirs. At 10, his family moved to Chicago, where his musical education kicked into high gear, including violin studies with Portuguese violinist Gerardo Ribeiro and composition with Matthew Hagle at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy. Jonas began collecting scores at age 12, with an early fondness for Mahler and Beethoven. At 14, he completed his first composition for solo piano.

Jonas’s music is represented by Estonian Author’s Society and American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.