Jon Banks
Kanun, harp, dulcimer.
Jon is a versatile specialist in early and Oriental string instruments who
performs with a range of ensembles. Besides Safar, he is a member of the
Jewish music group ŒThe Burning Bush©ˆ and the early/world group ŒSirinu©ˆ,
with whom he has toured and broadcast extensively. Other interests include
the English traditional group Dragonsfire, various ensembles playing
traditional Middle Eastern music, and freelance recording for radio and TV.
Jon studied music at Oxford University, where he went on to complete a
doctorate on classical rhetoric and the renaissance motet, and now lectures
in Music and Science at Cambridge University, and Middle Eastern Music at
Anglia Polytechnic University. He is currently writing a book on medieval
instrumental music supported by a Leverhulme Research Fellowship; previous
publications include a book, 'The Motet as a Formal Type' for Garland Press,
and articles for Early Music and other journals. Jon also composes, with
two of his latest pieces being toured by Sirinu.

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