ABOUT WILLIAM JOHNSTON
photo by Jesse Kramer
William Johnston leads a varied career as a violist and educator based in Atlanta. Praised for his "richly lyrical tone and expressive playing" (ArtsATL.com), recent performance highlights include his solo debut with the San Jose Chamber Orchestra and an appearance at the Primrose International Viola Festival. He is also heard frequently as a solo and chamber musician in Atlanta, performing at the Molly Blank Jewish Concert Series, Fringe, Sonic Generator, Kennesaw State University, Emory University, and Eddie's Attic. William is principal violist of The Atlanta Opera and performs frequently with major orchestras in the Southeast, including the Sarasota Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared at many summer festivals, including Aspen, Kent/Blossom, Sarasota, and as principal violist of the Utah Festival Opera.
William is equally committed to music education. He has presented masterclasses at the Primrose International Viola Festival and numerous colleges and universities, and currently maintains a private studio in Atlanta. He is the Program Coordinator and a faculty member of Franklin Pond Chamber Music, a year-round chamber music program for talented string students. William is a registered Suzuki teacher and completed long-term teacher training in books 1-4 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and is currently training with Andover Educators to become a licensed instructor of Body Mapping, a method of preventing injury and enhancing performance by providing accurate information about the body in movement.
William is a native of Sarasota, Florida and graduated from Pine View School. Beginning music lessons with the piano at age four, he later studied the viola with Dorothy Stahler, Alison Heydt, Victoria Chiang, James Dunham, and Robert Vernon. He is a graduate of the Peabody Institute and Rice University, and is the first violist to receive the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
William is equally committed to music education. He has presented masterclasses at the Primrose International Viola Festival and numerous colleges and universities, and currently maintains a private studio in Atlanta. He is the Program Coordinator and a faculty member of Franklin Pond Chamber Music, a year-round chamber music program for talented string students. William is a registered Suzuki teacher and completed long-term teacher training in books 1-4 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and is currently training with Andover Educators to become a licensed instructor of Body Mapping, a method of preventing injury and enhancing performance by providing accurate information about the body in movement.
William is a native of Sarasota, Florida and graduated from Pine View School. Beginning music lessons with the piano at age four, he later studied the viola with Dorothy Stahler, Alison Heydt, Victoria Chiang, James Dunham, and Robert Vernon. He is a graduate of the Peabody Institute and Rice University, and is the first violist to receive the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music.