Jonathan Hadas was born in Tel Aviv in 1986 and has been Principle Bass Clarinet Player of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra since 2010. He began playing the clarinet at the age of eleven with Sarah Elbaz at the Ramat Gan Music Conservatory and at the Israeli Music Conservatory in Tel Aviv, and later with Richard Lesser.

At the age of twelve, he had already performed as a soloist, accompanied by the Ramat Gan Strings Ensemble and a year later was sent as representative to a concert tour in Norway on behalf of the city. Jonathan has completed his master’s degree at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, under a full scholarship granted by the Chase Fund in Yevgny Yehudin’s class and in the Karlsruhe Hochschule für Musik, Germany, in Prof. Wolfgang Meyer’s class under a special student exchange program. In 2007 he finished his service in the Israel Defense Forces as an “outstanding musician,” and completed his studies for a bachelor’s degree at Tel Aviv University, under Richard Lesser and Yevgeny Yehudin. He was a member of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music Symphony Orchestra, under full scholarship, in which he appeared as Principal Clarinet in the UN General Assembly Hall in New York, Tonhalle, Zurich, and Israel under the baton of Maestro Zubin Mehta.

Jonathan is a Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts graduate, played in the school symphonic orchestra as principal clarinet in tours in Europe and as a soloist under the baton of Menahem Nevenhause. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Holon Chamber Orchestra, the Israeli Stage Orchestra, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, and the Israel Camerata Orchestra Jerusalem. In the summer of 2010, he took part in the Lucerne Festival Academy as principal clarinet under Maestro Pierre Boulez.

Jonathan attended master classes coached by Anthony Pay, Wolfgang Meyer, Sabine Meyer, Sharon Kam, Philip Cupper, Mitchell Lurie, Giora Feidman, Eli Even, and Hakan Rosengren, and has collaborated with artists such as Eric–Maria Cotourier and Benni Sluchin from Ensemble Intercontemporain. Jonathan has participated in festivals and seminars all over the world, including Chigiana Academy in Italy, Idyllwild in California, and Kfar Blum in Israel.

Jonathan is a recipient of America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarships and a graduate of the “young musicians’ section” at the Jerusalem Music Center. In 2008, he has won the Tel Aviv University Wind Competition and received a special prize at the AICF Spring Competitions for the best performance of an Israeli work.

Jonathan is a member of the Israel Contemporary Players. His playing has been featured in radio and television broadcasts in Israel, Romania, Boston, and Paris.
He is one of the founders of the Meitar Ensemble.