Biography

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Celebrated for his warm stage presence, compelling musical personality, and provocative repertoire choices, Canadian pianist Carter Johnson is known for making classical music speak to all kinds of audiences. The silver medalist of the 2024 Gina Bachauer Competition, his laurels also include first prizes in international competitions such as the 2023 Concours Hauts-de-France, the 2021 International Competition of Polish Music, the 2020 Valsesia International Competition and the 2023 Weatherford College International Competition. Other recent awards include the prize for the most promising pianist not proceeding to the final in the 2023 Sydney International Piano Competition, the best performance of the commissioned work in the 2024 Gina Bachauer Competition, and a special finalist prize in the 2023 Walter Naumburg Competition. Johnson rose to prominence in his home country when in 2018 he was declared the winner of two of Canada’s most important competitions, garnering both the grand prize in the OSM Competition and the first prize in the CMC Stepping Stone competition.

Johnson has performed with orchestras including the Montréal Symphony Orchestra, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Utah Symphony, the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Americas, and his playing has been broadcasted by CBC Radio and medici.tv. Venues in which he has performed include the Maison Symphonique, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, the Kaufmann Concert Hall at the 92nd Street Y, the Shenzhen Concert Hall, Salle Bourgie, and the Warsaw National Philharmonic Hall.

Equally at home in the worlds of solo, concerto, chamber, and vocal music, Johnson has a particular interest in bringing light to lesser-explored parts of the repertory, most recently championing a collection of works by nearly-forgotten Polish composers. Johnson’s most personal relationship is with the music of J.S. Bach and the German romantics (with Robert Schumann being the composer currently most dear to him) — but in the concert hall he is also a special advocate of 20th-century composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Francis Poulenc, Paul Hindemith, Karol Szymanowski, and Grażyna Bacewicz. An avid connoisseur of art song, he has experience as a vocal coach and is enthusiastic about languages. Johnson’s own secondary instrument work has included studies in oboe, voice, and harpsichord.

Trained in elocution as a teenager, Johnson holds an ATCL with distinction in speech and drama from Trinity College London, and he regularly brings this expertise to his recitals in his discussions on the music that is being played — for many audiences, these continue to be a highlight of his performances. This skill was recognized in the 2023 Sydney International Piano Competition, where he was awarded the Best Program Presentation in the Semifinal for his program design and verbal introductions. His performances of Poulenc’s setting of L’histoire de Babar le pétit éléphant, in which he plays the part of both pianist and narrator, are particularly popular with audiences of every age and background.

Born in 1996 on Vancouver Island, Canada, Johnson began the study of piano at age 5 with Shelley Roberts, with whom he had the privilege of studying both performance and pedagogy for over 12 years. After continuing his studies with Michelle Mares, he completed a Bachelor of Music with Mark Anderson at the University of British Columbia. He then received a Master of Music from the Juilliard School under the direction of Joseph Kalichstein and Matti Raekallio, and continued to the Yale School of Music where he completed a Master of Musical Arts with Wei-Yi Yang. He is currently continuing at Yale where he is a candidate for a Doctor of Musical Arts. Johnson is grateful to benefit from the generous support of the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation.

Johnson currently resides in Hamden, Connecticut with his wife Hannah and their young boys Preston and Ambrose, where he maintains a busy schedule as a concert artist, student, and teacher. In his spare time, he and Hannah enjoy cooking together, watching good films, and spending time outside as a family enjoying the charms of New England.