Dr. Adam Johnson, conductor

Thrilling audiences at the top levels of the Canadian music scene, award-winning Canadian conductor Adam Johnson has been praised as “an exciting talent” and for his “charismatic, commanding presence” on the podium. A highly-sought leader, he completed his tenure as Assistant Conductor of the Montréal Symphony Orchestra in 2018, and was appointed Resident Conductor for the 2018-2019 season. He collaborated closely with Music Director Kent Nagano on prize-winning recordings for Decca and Analekta, and contributed to performances in Carnegie Hall, the Salzburg Festival, and a major European tour. He has conducted more than 65 concerts with the MSO and is frequently reengaged as a guest conductor.

Prior to his tenure in Montréal, Dr. Johnson served for three seasons with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, initially as Resident and then Associate Conductor (2013-2016). He has also guest-conducted the Edmonton, Québec, Trois-Rivières, Estuaire, Saskatoon, Guelph and Thunder Bay symphony orchestras, as well as Symphony Nova Scotia and the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa. Internationally he has conducted the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and members of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchestre Hamburg.

Known for uncommon versatility, in addition to masterworks concerts Dr. Johnson has conducted sold-out Pops concerts with dozens of top artists, including Half Moon Run, John Elefante, Catherine Major, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Ariane Moffatt, Safia Nolin, Betty Bonifassi, Isabelle Boulay, Clémence Desrochers, Marie Denise Pelletier, Denzal Sinclair, and many others across a broad range of styles from Pop to Jazz to Broadway.

In 2015, Adam Johnson received the prestigious Jean-Marie-Beaudet Award for Orchestral Conducting from the Canada Council for the Arts, and won an OPUS award for best youth concert of 2018 with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He holds a Doctorate in Piano Performance from the Université de Montréal and a Prize in Orchestral Conducting from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal.

In high demand as a pedagogue, he served on the faculties of the McGill Conservatory and the Université du Québec à Montréal. He has also taught harmony, analysis, and chamber music, and translated a major treatise on harmonic analysis from French to English. He is actively aiming to create societal change through increasing the impact of music education, reaching thousands of students by providing online training for music educators.

Dr. Johnson also shares his passion for classical music through the Classical Inner Circle, an online initiative he founded to share with both new and seasoned listeners how to appreciate and experience classical music.

Guest Conductor of I Medici di McGill, 2021/2022