Christian Johnson

Beginning piano lessons at just five years old, Christian Johnson quickly found his calling in music that has taken him across the world to perform at international music festivals today. Since he was a young musician, he had always dreamed of touring the world, exploring all the diverse cultures, and joining them together with the universal language of music.

In 2010, Christian was the 1 of 40 students in all of Tennessee to be selected for the People to People Student Ambassador Program. He embarked on a three-week journey exploring the East coast of Australia, beginning from the Northeastern city of Cairns and concluding at the Southeastern city of Sydney. Although music was not the focus on this mission, it was still a focus for him. Towards the end of his first international adventure, Christian found a grand piano in the hotel lobby, and began performing all the music he could remember, attracting pedestrians and locals alike with his melodious playing.

With his musical training focused in the Classical style, Christian put his talent to the test in 2011. He began actively competing in solo piano competitions, winning the highest rating of “Superior” in 6 separate divisions across the next 3 years. He continued his path in music by pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance at Lipscomb University, later winning music awards for his dedicated excellence and outstanding academic performance.

After completing his first year at Lipscomb University, he was invited exclusively by his piano professor, Dr. Jerome Reed, to attend the 2014 InterHarmony Music Festival in Arcidosso, Italy. This two-week intensive music camp was packed with public and private lessons taught by only the experts, along with invaluable recitals and performance experience.

In the summer of 2016, Christian attended the first year of the East/West International Piano Festival in Weihai, China. Not only did he receive daily one-on-one training with China’s renowned pianists for two weeks, but he created lifelong friendships with many other Chinese students. Christian returned to China again this past summer of 2017, spending a month in Shanghai before venturing to Hangzhou to attend the second year of the East/West International Piano Festival.

Being a classically trained pianist, Christian is out to make a name for the world of Classical music. Although many envision this music as highly sophisticated and made for intellectuals, this is not always the case, as Christian will point out with his performance of “Jeux d’eau” by Maurice Ravel. Literally translated to “water games”, this piece is nothing close to what one may consider as Classical music in this age. It’s expansive range of tonal colors and volume mimics the range of water fountains; from furious streams of water jets to delicate showers of droplets.

Originally born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Christian was raised in Dickson, Tennessee for most of his life. He is currently studying music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with Dr. Paul Barnes. His other interests include spending time with family, helping the community, playing video games, and working as a graphic designer.

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