Jonathan Clinch

Dr. Jonathan Clinch is a Lecturer in Academic Studies at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM), specializing in British music over the past two centuries. He previously held the Frank Bridge Research Fellowship at the Royal College of Music and served as an OCVE Research Associate at Cambridge University. His teaching focuses on British music and culture at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with a particular interest in mentoring prospective PhD students.

He studied Music at Keble College, Oxford, and completed his doctorate on Herbert Howells’ secular music under Professor Jeremy Dibble at Durham University. Clinch’s scholarly work includes editing and completing Howells’ Cello Concerto (2014), performed at major festivals and recorded by notable artists. His recent projects with Novello uncovered 28 unknown piano manuscripts by Howells, leading to a Naxos album with pianist Matthew Schellhorn.

As an organist, he collaborates with composer Robert Saxton on a major online performance cycle. He serves on the committees of Musica Britannica and the British Music Society, and is editing an essay volume on Frank Bridge. His research spans symphonic poetry, musical criticism, cathedral music, and the legacy of 20th-century British composers like Howells and Ernest Walker.

Clinch’s articles explore topics such as Howells’ compositional techniques, the cultural role of British musical criticism, and the interplay between liturgy and music in 20th-century cathedrals. His work bridges academic scholarship with performance practice, emphasizing the revival of overlooked repertoires and critical re-evaluation of historical figures.