composer conductor choir director
Originally from Minnesota, he studied piano and sang in the Saint Olaf Choir at Saint Olaf College, graduating in 1984. He went on to study at Juilliard, the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and Yale University, from which he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree.
He founded and is the artistic director of the group Conspirare. Johnson serves as Resident Artist in Choral Music at Texas State University and previously spent eight years as director of choral activities for the University of Texas. In April 2013, Johnson was named the 2013 Texas State Musician, the second classical musician to receive the honor.
In May 2013 Johnson was named Music Director/Conductor of Vocal Arts Ensemble in Cincinnati, Ohio.
He is also the artistic director of the Victoria Bach Festival and in 1998-1999 was the artistic director of Chanticleer, the second person to hold that position (after founder Louis Botto). On February 8, 2015 he and Conspirare won the Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance for their album The Sacred Spirit of Russia (Harmonia mundi HMU 807526).
