American concert pianist Christopher Johnson has become One World Symphony's audience favorite in New York City, where his several recent performances of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, with Maestro Sung Jin Hong, have brought audiences to their feet. 

Since his critically acclaimed New York recital debut at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in 1997, Dr. Johnson has appeared extensively in recital, on radio and television, as soloist with orchestras, and in chamber ensembles throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South America, and Europe.

From the complete piano concertos of Beethoven to Rachmaninoff, Dr. Johnson has soloed with dozens of symphony orchestras including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Equinox Symphony Orchestra in Rochester, the Fidelio Chamber Orchestra in Boston, the Philharmonic Orchestra of New Jersey at Princeton, the Garden State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra (Patriots Theater, the War Memorial, 2002 and 2003), the Nittany Valley Symphony Orchestra at Penn State, the Pierre Monteux School Orchestra as the 1999, 2001, and 2005 Pianist-in-Residence, the Westfield Symphony Orchestra, the New Sussex Symphony Orchestra (NJ), the Cheektowaga Symphony Orchestra (NY), the Central Jersey Symphony Orchestra, L'Orchestra Sinfonica di Chioggia in Italy, and among others, the Plainfield Symphony Orchestra in New Jersey (with whom he has performed almost a dozen different concertos as Artist-in-Residence from 1998 to 2007).   On March 4 and 6, 2011, Dr. Johnson will launch his fourth consecutive season collaboration with the One World Symphony (NYC) performing Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor.

On January 18, 2001, Dr. Johnson performed the Horowitz/Sousa "Stars and Stripes Forever" in Washington D. C. (Lincoln Memorial) for President George W. Bush, an event presented to a live audience of 75,000 and broadcast internationally to millions of viewers.  Since 1996, Dr. Johnson has been an annual fixture at the Bar Harbor Music Festival in Maine, through whom he has also made dozens of collegiate residency tours throughout Pennsylvania.  Since 2007, Dr. Johnson has been an annual fixture at the Sembrich Opera Museum on Lake George in the Adirondacks.  In 2008, Alfred Music Publishing has internationally released his book of advanced piano arrangements based on Broadway shows entitled "Popular Performer: Broadway," which is now available for purchase.

Born in New Jersey, Dr. Johnson launched his competitive start while spending three years in Florida studying with Angela Baptiste.  He received his Bachelor's Degree in 1996 from the Juilliard School in New York City where he studied with Abbey Simon and assisted David Dubal while on scholarship. Dr. Johnson additionally studied with Byron Janis and Marc Silverman at the Manhattan School of Music on scholarship where he taught for two years, received his Master's Degree in 1998 and Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in 2003.

Dr. Johnson is currently on the piano faculty of the United Nations International School in New York City.

Biography

Copyright © 2012 Christopher Johnson.  All Rights Reserved.

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