Jonathan Densem

A Bit About Jonathan...

Jonathan, is a professional singer, pianist, songwriter, arranger, director and actor.

He has played roles in 50 or so professional productions touring here and in Australia, as well as 1000s of piano man, rock, pop, jazz, funk, symphony, and cabaret gigs. He has shared the stage with many greats including stars of the West End and Broadway such as Todd McKenney, David Campbell, Peter Murphy, Amanda Harrison, Jon Stevens, Marina Prior, Rob Guest, Geraldine Turner, Caroline O’Connor, Natalie Mendoza and closer to home Mark Hadlow, Theresa Healey, Tim Beveridge, and Danny Mulheron to name a few.  This website is a work in progress - soon we'll add Jonathan's whole performance CV for you to peruse at your leisure!

Jonathan is an accomplished writer, arranger, and music director. His album of original songs “I’m
Saying it Now” gained critical acclaim. You can listen here:
https://open.spotify.com/album/0Wofr5qzASs6HnwRXtDiUK?si=SjS7FQ-xTWSMyVKzok5ZPA

His rock musical King of The World (co-writers Peter Murphy and Damon Fealy) won a prestigious
Pratt Prize for new Australian musicals, and his original arrangements for the sell-out Kylie Monigue
musical “I Should Be So Lucky” won the highly sought after Australian Green Room Award for
musical direction.

Jonathan is an experienced and passionate teacher. Jonathan teaches from the iddy-biddy 5-year-olds right up to those moving onto performance degrees at colleges and universities here and overseas. He has taught in high schools (both public and private) in Melbourne and Canterbury. In Melbourne he taught young professionals during their training at both Danceworld 301 and Centrestage. His students frequently land lead roles in school productions of course – Alissa Garrett in RHS “We Will Rock You” and Jess Tozer in Chicago (Cashmere High) spring to mind.

In Australia he was also known as a vocal coach who could take a professional actor and/or dancer who could sing in tune and make them into a singer of lead roles. 

Jonathan has just waved off Sophie Landis to Melbourne for VCA Music Theatre. Other alumni
include Alinta Chidzey (Australia’s Mary Poppins and the lead in Chicago) and Emily Britt who
recently graduated from university in New York and is working all around USA – next stop Broadway.

Most importantly, his experience as a professional performer coupled with his continued study of
vocal anatomy means is one of a rare handful of teachers in NZ who is able to demonstrate, explain
and teach the contemporary singing technique necessary for Broadway, pop, rock, jazz, and funk
singing.   As a result, he has a fabulous breadth of knowledge to impart.

Unlike the vast majority of teachers, Jonathan has been using this technique as a professional singer for his entire performance career. Also, unlike the vast majority of singing teachers, he has also been teaching this modern technique for his whole teaching career.

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As a professional pianist, he is an even rarer singing teacher – able to modify any song so
that a youngster can sing that song in a key suitable for their vocal anatomy and skills. This way they
can learn correct and technique from the start – developing their shorter, untoned, vulnerable vocal
cords safely – but all while having loads of fun of course!

You would not believe the extraordinary singing that Jonathan is able to get from his students in a
remarkably short time. Jump on North Canterbury Music facebook page to hear some snippets from his students.

Since our return from Australia Jonathan has taught at St Margaret’s College in Christchurch. Now
after a 10-year health battle he is now able to take on more students as is champing at the bit to
help budding musicians in our local community.

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