Jonathan Rao is a Singapore ruan instrumentalist, and currently a full-time professional musician with Ding Yi Music Company. Under the tutelage of Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) ruan principal Zhang Rong Hui, Rao graduated with a Bachelor of Music (first class honours) from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in collaboration with the Royal College of Music (London) and the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing).  

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A multi-award winner, Rao clinched the first prize (zhongruan open category) at the National Chinese Music Competition 2010 in Singapore and performed his winning concerto with SCO at the Prize Winners’ Concert.  In the same year, he was also awarded the silver prize at the inaugural zhongruan competition organised by the China Nationalities Orchestra Society in Beijing.

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With Ding Yi, he premiered a double zhongruan concerto White Plum under the baton of Maestro Lim Yau in 2011. He also won the 1st prize with Ding Yi under the folk ensemble category at the 2009 National Eisteddfod of Wales (Llangollen).

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Rao has also participated in the SCO's fellowship programme in 2016 and has performed extensively with the orchestra. In 2017, he was invited to stage a recital at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and perform a zhongruan concerto Reminiscences of Yunnan accompanied by the Symphonic Winds.

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One of the founding member and ruan principal of both the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra and Singapore Ruan Chamber Ensemble, Rao has performed in various countries such as Australia, Cambodia, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan.