JONATHAN DELY performs one of jazz's most virtuosic live concerts with an all-star band of the world’s finest musicians.

Celebrated by SFJAZZ as "performing material that undoubtedly appeals to lovers of [Wynton] Marsalis' clarion tone and Chris Botti's wide-ranging eclecticism,” Dely masterfully interweaves musical styles of jazz, classical, rock, and more into a one-of-a-kind, genre-defying experience — a feat that has earned him invitations from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, as well as praise from critics and concertgoers who are enraptured by Dely’s silky trumpet sound, the versatility of his razor sharp ensemble, and his live show’s ability to both earn and transcend the label of “jazz.”

A graduate of Williams College and Manhattan School of Music, Dely famously turned down a lucrative Wall Street career to pursue the musical arts, a journey that legendary director Bob Giraldi adapted into the 2023 short film Goodbye Jonathan’s Soul, in which Dely stars as himself.

FULL BIOGRAPHY

JONATHAN DELY picked up his first trumpet at age eight. At ten, he discovered jazz music. Its freedom, its complexity, its power — jazz ignited Dely’s dream of crafting an artistic identity and one day becoming a solo artist. Growing up in Lloyd Harbor, a small village on Long Island in New York, Dely pursued this dream early. Encouraged by his first trumpet teacher and mentor Phil Gray, Dely auditioned for his All-County Jazz Ensemble as an elementary school student and won the ensemble’s solo chair, which he would keep for four years. Continuing his pursuit in middle and high school, Dely became inspired by solo trumpeters like Wynton Marsalis, who exuded a unique musical voice, technical genius, and unwavering artistic vision. With Marsalis and others as a muse, Dely rose through New York’s top youth ensembles, auditioning for and receiving the solo chair in the Nassau-Suffolk Jazz Ensemble and the New York All-State Jazz Ensemble. By 17, he was selected as one of five trumpet players in the United States to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. for the inaugural All-National Jazz Ensemble, in which he performed the solo chair.

In the fall of 2011, Dely enrolled at Williams College, where he began performing as a featured soloist with the college’s jazz ensembles, while also working as a music department teaching assistant and founding a student organization, Jazz at Williams, dedicated to expanding jazz music on and off campus. At the same time, Dely dove into pure academic subjects like English and mathematics, while also competing on Williams’ varsity golf team. With multiple career opportunities beginning to take shape, Dely competed for and won JPMorgan’s coveted investment banking summer internship following his junior year. After this summer analyst program, Dely earned a full-time returning offer on Wall Street upon graduation. Returning to Williams for his senior year in the fall of 2015, however, Dely declined this full-time job offer and instead applied to graduate school at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM), one of the most prestigious conservatories in the world for jazz performance. He was accepted on a near full-tuition scholarship. At age 22, Dely graduated Williams College with Latin honors and the college’s Arthur Judson Prize in Music, moved to New York City, and began his Master’s degree at MSM, where he would also serve as President of Student Council. During his first year at MSM, he earned finalist honors in the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition, the National Jazz Trumpet Competition, and the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Competition.

In graduate school, Dely’s true artistic identity began to emerge. Influenced by the orchestral albums of trumpet superstar Chris Botti, Dely assembled his own jazz philharmonic and recorded his first music videos, My Funny Valentine and Pure Imagination. These music videos were released with the official sponsorship of Manhattan School of Music and garnered hundreds of thousands of views across platforms, encouraging Dely to begin reaching a larger fan base. Determined to start touring, Dely formed his own 5-member jazz band and designed a concert centered around showcasing his band’s world-class musicianship. Dely has been invited to perform this concert at SFJAZZ, Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, and in theaters across America.

In 2023, legendary film director Bob Giraldi — best known for Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and countless other works of American cultural iconography — adapted Dely’s life story into the biopic Goodbye Jonathan’s Soul. Giraldi cast Dely as the film’s star and commissioned him to compose its original soundtrack.

Dely’s experience composing for film inspired a shift in his artistry, leading him to reinvent his live concert around original music — a vision captured in his 2024 album “Live from Sun Valley.” Often composing in collaboration with his band’s pianist Nicolas Hetko, Dely has become celebrated by SFJAZZ as "performing material that undoubtedly appeals to lovers of [Wynton] Marsalis' clarion tone and Chris Botti's wide-ranging eclecticism.” Today, Jonathan Dely is hailed for his virtuosic, lyrical trumpet sound, the versatility of his razor-sharp ensemble, and his one-of-a-kind live concert that interweaves jazz, classical, rock, and more — a performance that both earns and transcends the label of “jazz.”