A native of St. Paul, MN, Jacob studied classical guitar performance under Joe Hagedorn at University of Wisconsin - River Falls and Jeffrey Van at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. He also has Suzuki pedagogy training in all 9 guitar books and has taught as a clinician for the Colorado Suzuki Institute.
Since moving to Duluth in 2008 Jacob has performed extensively in the region both as a solo guitarist and with ensembles, including the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, Twin Ports Choral Project, Lyric Opera of the North, and Duluth Playhouse. While classical guitar is his specialty, he enjoys playing a wide variety of styles and has performed in local rock and jazz bands as well.
When not at UMD Jacob also teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and through his private guitar studio, Duluth Guitar Academy.
Click here to view Jacob Jonker's YouTube page!