|
Craig Hella JohnsonConductorAustin, Texas 
In addition to his work with Conspirare, Johnson also serves as the Music Director Laureate and Conductor of the Victoria Bach Festival, an annual event that draws musicians and critical praise from around the country. Johnson served as Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas in Austin from 1990 to 2001 leading the graduate program in conducting. He was Artistic Director of San Francisco-based Chanticleer from 1998-1999 and has served as guest conductor with the Austin Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Chicago's Music of the Baroque, and the Berkshire Choral Festival. In 2008, Johnson was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame. Praised by audiences and critics, Johnson's programs are hailed as thought-provoking musical journeys. One unique aspect of Johnson's programming is his signature collage style: through-composed programs that marry music and poetry to seamlessly blend the sacred and secular as well as the classical and contemporary. In 2006, he was engaged to create a special peace-themed collage program for the North Central ACDA convention. He was also engaged by the St. Olaf Choir to create and conduct a collage program during a five-week residency with the choir in the spring of 2007. Johnson's distinctive programming style and commitment to the choral art led him to be honored with the 2009 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal, an award given by Chorus America. A composer and arranger, Johnson is an editor with G. Schirmer Publishing and is working on a choral series featuring specially selected composers, as well as some of his original compositions and arrangements. His works are also published by Alliance Music Publications. A native of Minnesota, Johnson studied at St. Olaf College, the Juilliard School, and the University of Illinois and earned his doctorate at Yale University. As the recipient of a National Arts Fellowship, Johnson studied with Helmuth Rilling at the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart, Germany. |
SEARCH THE SITE:
BACH ALERTS:
Remember loved ones with a memorial giftYou can honor loved ones with a memorial gift to the Oregon Bach Festival. Here is a link and more info. more »OBF future datesPlan now to attend next year's OBF, June 25-July 11, 2010, and into the future. more »Check out OBF 09 photo galleriesSee behind-the-scenes and onstage action of the Festival through our online galleries. more » |
