Jonathan is co-founder and artistic director of Vache Baroque ('one of the UK's hottest groups' - Opera Today), for which he has led seven fully-staged operas and numerous multi-artform programmes from the harpsichord. Recent highlights include a circus-themed production of Campra's Le Carnaval de Venise (✭✭✭✭✭ - Opera Now), a programme inspired by Oscar Wilde's 'De Profundis' letter ('an exceptional evening' - The Observer), a new staging of Francesca Caccini's La liberazione di Ruggiero at the Buxton International Festival, and a semi-opera version of Shakespeare's The Tempest (✭✭✭✭ 'Pitch perfect' - The Telegraph). In 2025 VB was nominated for a 2025 International Opera Award for their continuing work with local SEN communities.
Alongside his own projects, Jonathan has been music director for HGO's production of Rossini's La Cenerentola (2026 OFFIE winner - Sound & Music), assisted for the Nederlandse Bachvereniging and at The Grange Festival, works as chorus master for the NSO, and has led projects ranging from the Voces8 Scholars to choir scenes in a number of Netflix productions, including The Crown and Bridgerton. Upcoming conducting projects will be a new opera by Paul Honey at LSO St Luke's this December and Mozart's Don Giovanni for HGO in Spring 2027.
As a countertenor, Jonathan has worked with many leading early-music specialist ensembles across Europe, including the Dunedin Consort, Concerto Copenhagen, I Barocchisti, Freiburger Barockorchester, and the Marian Consort. Away from early music, he sang in the world premiere of Stockhausen’s opera Mittwoch aus Licht with Ex Cathedra (dir. Graham Vick), and his performance as The Waiter in Steven Oliver's The Waiter's Revenge was reviewed by The Independent on Sunday as 'outstanding', with Opera Now writing 'Darbourne's lugubrious performance stood out'.
Recent solo highlights include a programme of Stradella and Purcell for the Lerici Music Festival (dir. Andrea De Carlo); Handel, Bach, and Vivaldi arias with I Barocchisti (dir. Diego Fasolis) in Lugano; Haydn's Paukenmesse at the Al Bustan Festival, Beirut (cond. Gianluca Marciano); and Bach's St John Passion with the Academy of Ancient Music (cond. Will Vann) at Cadogan Hall.
In demand as an arranger, Jonathan’s commissions have been broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, and have been performed at London venues including the Cadogan Hall and Smith Square Hall, as well as internationally.
Jonathan began his musical training as a chorister in the choir of Southwark Cathedral. As a treble, he performed as soloist with orchestras at the Barbican, Queen Elizabeth, and Royal Albert Halls, and took the roles of First Boy in Mozart’s The Magic Flute for the ENO and Miles in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw ('Darbourne’s Miles stands in the line of greats'– The Independent). After reading Music and singing as a choral scholar in the choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, he went on to further vocal study at the Schola Cantorum, Basel and the Barock Vokal programme in Mainz. He now studies with Antonio Lemmo in Molise, Italy.