Jonathan Cohen is a harpsichordist as well as a conductor, and he began his career as a baroque cellist. When he worked in that capacity with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, he got the chance to assist him and conduct him himself. That was also the time he transformed from pianist to continuo player. With all that, he grew into a globally renowned baroque specialist. He is currently associated with various ensembles and organisations such as Les Violons du Roy, the Tetbury Music Festival, Les Arts Florissants and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. As a guest, he performed with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He also conducted opera productions at Glyndebourne Festival Opera.
In 2010, he founded Arcangelo. It soon became one of the leading baroque companies with which he performed worldwide in venues including the Wigmore Hall in London, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Wiener Musikverein and Carnegie Hall in New York. With Nicolas Altstaedt, he recorded a CD of Bach works for viola da gamba and harpsichord in 2013.