Jonathan Werk is an oboist living and freelancing in Montreal's West Island, after growing up and studying in Ottawa. Music has always been a central focus in Jonathan's life; starting at a young age he developed a love for music of all genres, from classical to jazz to klezmer. Jonathan performs orchestral music, chamber music, contemporary music, as well as a wide array of folk music including klezmer, Irish, and Quebecois. In particular, Jonathan is sought after for playing Contradances, Balfolk, and English Country Dances. In addition to being a skilled oboist, he is a fluent improviser, he excels at working by ear - which is particularly helpful outside of the classical scene- and he has written and arranged many pieces of music for himself and others to perform.

Jonathan studied with Charles Hamann and received his Bachelor's of Music in oboe performance from the University of Ottawa in 2016, and was a member of Canada's National Youth Orchestra in the summer of 2016. Jonathan's studies also brought him to international music festivals such as Klezkanada, Silkroad's Global Musician Workshop, and various summer festivals hosted by the Country Dance and Song Society.

Jonathan plays for many dance events across Canada and the United States in the bands Modern Birds, Gròóvåtrøñ, Overnight Goats, Cedar Waxwing, Les Quatre Patates, as well as many more unnamed groups and configurations. Since the pandemic, Jonathan became heavily involved in remote and virtual recording work, including producing many fully remote symphonic orchestra recordings in online groups such as the Untitled Virtual Ensemble and The Pixel Mixers. Jonathan releases music online under his real name and also under the moniker “oboejdub.” Besides oboe, Jonathan can also be seen performing on accordion, piano, penny whistle, bombarde, and didgeridoo.
Contact: jonathanwerk@gmail.com

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2mDMFFIdV0atELDsHAoTDV and https://open.spotify.com/artist/4VRUT3SKR06sT5THVzXEF8
Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/oboejdub
Social Media: Follow Jonathan on Facebook and Bluesky