Jonathan Rea

Jonathan Rea is Creative Director of New Irish Arts, a Christian Arts organisation whose choir, orchestra and youth choir perform at over 20 events per year. They have sold out Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on numerous occasions, and often have over 200 participants in their larger concerts.

Jonathan studied music at Cambridge, where he held choral and instrumental awards and won the Rima Alamuddin prize for piano performance.

After 15 happy years as a teacher, he began a broader career in conducting, producing, writing, composing, adjudicating, arranging and piano accompanying. He has conducted many programmes for BBC Songs of Praise and directs the choir programme for the annual Gettymusic Sing Conference in Nashville. He is an accredited adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festivals.

Jonathan is increasingly in demand as a writer and speaker, occasionally contributing to programmes like Radio 4’s Prayer for the Day and Morning Service. He has a specific interest in the interface between music and Christianity, but often addresses wider issues in his writing.

Since April 2020, he has broadcast a weekly HymnTime programme on Facebook Live (Sundays at 9pm) , often joined by his sons and various guest performers.

Jonathan’s musical arrangements are published by NewVoiceMusic. His work as a music producer comes under the umbrella of Rhubarb Tart Productions - just because he likes rhubarb tart. Who doesn’t?

in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020, Jonathan was awarded a BEM for services to Music in Northern Ireland.