Jonathan Moerschel is an accomplished American violist and educator based in Southern California, renowned for his expressive artistry and commitment to both classical and contemporary music. As the founding violist of the Calder Quartet, which was formed in 1998, Moerschel has performed at prestigious venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Museum, Phillips Collection, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, London’s Wigmore Hall and Barbican Centre. The quartet is celebrated for its dynamic performances of both standard canon and new music, having commissioned and premiered works by composers John Luther Adams, Andrew Norman, Christopher Cerrone, Christopher Rouse, Aaron Jay Kernis, and David Lang. The Calder Quartet was featured on the Grammy-nominated album The Edge of Light featuring Messiaen and Saariaho with pianist Gloria Cheng, as well as the Emmy-Award winning title theme to the television show, Da Vinci’s Demons, by Bear McCreary.
Recent solo performances include west coast premieres of viola works by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Anders Hillborg, and Timo Andres. Moerschel has appeared at La Jolla SummerFest, Bravo! Vail, Ojai, Perth, Edinburgh, Salzburg, Aspen, Norfolk Music Festivals and Sunflower Music Festivals. He has performed extensively with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, frequently as guest principal and has also recorded over 150 soundtracks for Television and Motion Pictures.
In addition to his performance career, Moerschel teaches viola and chamber music at the University of California Santa Barbara. He is also the director of the Ensemble for Contemporary Music and Head of Chamber Music. He is known for his dedication to nurturing the next generation of musicians, emphasizing the importance of both technical proficiency and expressive performance. He also regularly gives viola and chamber music masterclasses at colleges and conservatories in the US and abroad, and previously taught at The Colburn Conservatory of Music and Azusa Pacific University.
Born in Boston into a musical family—his mother a pianist and his father a cellist with the Boston Symphony—Moerschel began his musical journey early, studying piano, violin and clarinet before focusing on the viola at age sixteen. He continued his early chamber music studies with Eugene Lehner of the Kolisch Quartet. Moerschel made his professional debut at age 17 when he won first prize in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, leading to a performance with the Boston Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall conducted by Keith Lockhart.
He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Southern California, studying with Donald McInnes. He also holds an Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School in String Quartet Studies. Moerschel performs copy of the “Nathan Gordon” Gasparo da Salo made by Curtin & Alf in 1992.
He lives in Torrance, California with his wife, two daughters, three dogs and a cat. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, crossword puzzles and doing Crossfit.
