Jonathan Gentry

Jonathan Gentry is the Principal Oboe of the Phoenix Symphony, a position he began during the 2025/26 season. Prior to this appointment, he held positions with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Sarasota Orchestra, and the Louisiana Philharmonic.

Gentry began his journey with the oboe at the age of 11 in his hometown of Frisco, Texas. He grew up playing in Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and taking private lessons with Erin Hannigan, the  former principal oboist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. As a young musician, he was entranced by the oboe’s unique voice and intrigued by the challenges it posed as a double reed instrument.

He continued his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree under the tutelage of John Ferrillo, principal oboist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and subsequently The Juilliard School where he studied with Nathan Hughes, former principal oboist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. During the summers, he attended festivals such as the Verbier Festival, the Music Academy of the West, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the National Repertory Orchestra. 

As a soloist, he has performed the Haydn Sinfonia Concertante with the National Repertory Orchestra. Other concerto appearances include the Vaughan-Williams Concerto with the East Texas Symphony, Pasculli’s “La Favorita” Concerto with the Brazos Valley Symphony, and the Mozart Concerto with the Plano Symphony and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he was a founding member of Tangent Winds, a New York-based wind quintet which placed third in the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Competition.