Jonathan Romana joined the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in August 2026. Previously, he had served as principal trumpet with Collegium Musicum Basel, co-principal with the Orchestre Victor Hugo and (during four months in 2024) principal trumpet with Finland’s Turku Philharmonic Orchestra.
Alongside his permanent appointments, Romana regularly performed as a guest with numerous orchestras across Europe, including the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Orchestre National de Lyon, and the Münchner Symphoniker.
Jonathan Romana began playing the trumpet at the age of six and entered the Conservatoire de Toulouse at eleven. He continued his studies in Lyon at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse, earning his bachelor's degree in 2019. He then completed a master's degree with Hannes Läubin at Munich’s Hochschule für Musik und Theater before pursuing two more master degrees (performance and soloist) at the Basel Academy of Music with Klaus Schuhwerk.
During his studies, he was a member of youth orchestras such as the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, and the Orchestre Français des Jeunes. He also completed the 2022-23 academy programme of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester.
As a soloist, Romana has performed the trumpet concertos of Arutunian and Pakhutova with the Sinfonieorchester Basel and Hummel's Trumpet Concerto with Collegium Musicum Basel.
Romana received several distinctions in international competitions, including first prize at the FHNW Basel Competition (2024), second prize both at the Dienemann Music Competition and the Basler Förderpreis of the BOG Foundation (both 2025).