Jonathan Hennessey-Brown (2&3 South 1993) has been working as a professional cellist since he graduated from the Royal College of Music in 1997. This has taken him across the world and he has worked with artists from Placido Domingo to Little Mix. He has also appeared on TV and radio
Now he has changed direction slightly and set up a music agency. “On a recent flight back from California , I decided to follow through with an idea I have been mulling around for some time. I decided I would find a partner and set up a music agency. Three days later, during a chat with the violist and dear friend from Santiago Quartet, a group I founded, it transpired that she had been having basically the same idea.
“Within a week we were at my kitchen table getting business advice from another trusted friend. It’s exciting setting up a new venture and I feel that a lot of the things that I was being guided towards and probably was too immature to understand while at Cranleigh are starting to happen. Pooling contacts, bending the ear of friends who have expertise in areas where we need support, music lawyers, web designers, event organisers and hoteliers. I am finding the process of setting up a business at least as creative and all-consuming as being a musician.”
Jonathan has used his many contacts in the music world to help the business. “I guess our USP is that we know the musicians and truly trust them. We haven’t just googled ‘guitarist for my wedding’ without deep knowledge of each group. Believe me agents do. We aim to guarantee class, quality, reliability and punctuality. Musicians on our roster have played for clients from the Queen to Sir Elton John to Mariah. We have a wonderful brass funk band that performed at Glastonbury this year and we are delighted to be able to offer some of London’s finest musicians to entertain people from all walks of life and musical tastes.”
He is also pleased at being able to help fellow performers. “Finding work for other musicians is such a wonderful feeling after many years of being in healthy and respectful competition with many of the players that we are offering to brides, corporate groups, private events and special occasions.”
There is also a classical music arm and Jonathan has started pitching a roster of top level soloists to orchestras and festivals. “It is so exciting for Cressida (his business partner) and I to be even more deeply involved in the arts and promoting the continuation of live performance across the genres in an age when true communication and taking one’s eyes and ears away from screens and towards true communication is perhaps under threat. Music can be so many things: an escape, a way to unwind, a way to allow yourself to cry, to dance or to feel and express joy. We hope that we can provide some or all of those things every time we send one of our groups out to work.”
Take a look at this show reels:
BuzzMusicGroup (incorporating Buzz Classical)
Twitter @BuzzMusicGroup2
Mobile 07939 597760
Old Cranleighans can contact Jonathan directly to receive a 10% discount for any booking made in the next six months. Just write to jonnyhb18@gmail.com quoting ‘OC Musician Discount.’”