Biography
Jon Mikel was born in Fonzaleche, Spain, where he started learning the double bass at the age of 5 with Patxi Almenara and Aleksander Mikolajczyk. He moved to London at the age of 18 to study at the Royal College of Music with Caroline Emery, where he graduated with First Class Honours. Whilst studying, he took up the position as assistant double bass teacher at the Royal College of Music’s Junior Department.
Over the course of his studies, Jon Mikel performed as a soloist and as part of a chamber group in various venues including the Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall and the Menuhin Hall. These experiences inspired Jon Mikel to found his own chamber group: Ensemble Vindeleia, in 2018. The ensemble‘s purpose is to bring music to small villages in his home region, La Rioja, for which he received the DAAD prize for intercultural exchange. Upcoming events include their summer programme and further projects in 2020.
As an orchestral musician, Jon Mikel has performed with a number of British orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra as well as internationally, with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Spira Mirabilis.
He currently lives in Düsseldorf, where he combines his freelance work with his studies at the Robert Schumann Hochschule with professor Rick Stotijn.
