About

Jonathan Booker (he/him) is driven by innovation, passionate about collaboration, and focused on empowering teams. He is a dynamic leader, creative risk-taker, and thoughtful strategist who works at the intersections of mission and business.

 
 

Since January 2023, Jonathan has served as the Events & Community Programs Director for the Phinney Neighborhood Association, where he leads the strategy and execution of a large portfolio of customer facing events and brand experiences. Previously, Jonathan served as the Education Events Director and Marketing Manager for ShoreLake Arts. He applies project management skills, creative problem solving, and results-oriented strategy to build innovative, sustainable, and equitable campaigns and events that drive both mission and business results.

In addition to event marketing, Jonathan is an award-winning composer. His musical work explores the physical and psychological parameters of musical performance and highlights the relationship between physical gesture and sound. He has fulfilled commissions for a variety of organizations, festivals, and conferences including the New Music for Strings Festival in Aarhus and Copenhagen, Denmark, and the Composers Conference at Wellesley College. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he primarily studied with Chen Yi, Zhou Long, and Paul Rudy. His dissertation (asymmetries of matter) was premiered in 2020 by Loadbang in an online broadcast from Oktaven audiO in New York City.

In both his creative and administrative work, Jonathan challenges existing structures, pushes boundaries, and explores new possibilities to enable deeper connections between people, brands, and communities.

 

Education

Doctor of Musical Arts | Composition
University of Missouri-Kansas City
2016 – 2020

Master of Music | Composition
University of Houston
2013 – 2015

Bachelor of Arts | Music
Seattle Pacific University
2006 – 2009


Professional Experience

Events & Community Programs Director
Phinney Neighborhood Association
2023 – Present

Education Events Director
ShoreLake Arts
2020 – 2023

Interim Marketing Manager
ShoreLake Arts
2022

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Composition
University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music & Dance
2017 – 2019

Teaching Assistant
University of Houston Moores School of Music
2013 – 2015


Select Awards

The American Prize in Composition
Finalist

Costello Competition
Finalist

Sarofim Composition Award
Winner

Robert Avalon International Composers Competition
Honorable Mention

The “Other” Competition
Finalist


Collaborators & Friends

Phinney Neighborhood Association
ShoreLake Arts
UMKC Conservatory
Moores School of Music
Composers Conference
Loadbang Ensemble
Da Camera Chamber Music & Jazz
Seattle Modern Orchestra
Aura Contemporary Ensemble
Galveston Artist Residency
New Music for Strings