Renowned as one of the most influential voices in choral conducting in the United States,
Craig Hella Johnson brings a depth of knowledge, artistic sensitivity and imagination to
his programs. Founder and Artistic Director of the Grammy Award-Nominated choral
ensemble Conspirare, Johnson has assembled some of the finest singers in the country to
create a world class, award-winning ensemble committed to creating dynamic choral art.

In addition to his work with Conspirare, Johnson also serves as the Music Director
Laureate and Conductor of the Victoria Bach Festival, an annual event that draws
musicians and critical praise from around the country. Of Johnson’s performance of
Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Mike Greenberg of the San Antonio Express-News wrote:
“Through all the amazing ebbs and flows of dynamics, the radiant balances, the seamless
connection of episodes, the theatrically astute tempo relations, the unified structural arc,
the music shone forth with organic naturalness. Nothing sounded fussed over. Everything
just sounded right.”

Johnson served as Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas in Austin from
1990 to 2001 leading the graduate program in conducting. He was Artistic Director of
San Francisco-based Chanticleer from 1998-1999 and has served as guest conductor with
the Austin Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Chicago’s Music of
the Baroque, and the Berkshire Choral Festival. In 2008, Johnson was inducted into the
Austin Arts Hall of Fame.

Praised by audiences and critics, Johnson’s programs are hailed as thought-provoking
musical journeys. One unique aspect of Johnson’s programming is his signature “collage”
style: through-composed programs that marry music and poetry to seamlessly blend the
sacred and secular as well as the classical and contemporary. In 2006, he was engaged to
create a special peace-themed collage program for the North Central ACDA convention.
He was also engaged by the St. Olaf Choir to create and conduct a collage program during
a five-week residency with the choir in the spring of 2007. Johnson’s distinctive programming
style and commitment to the choral art led him to be honored with the 2009 Louis Botto
Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal, an award given by Chorus America.

A composer and arranger, Johnson is an editor with G. Schirmer Publishing and is
working on a choral series featuring specially selected composers, as well as some of his
original compositions and arrangements. His works are also published by Alliance
Music Publications.

A native of Minnesota, Johnson studied at St. Olaf College, the Juilliard School, and the
University of Illinois and earned his doctorate at Yale University. As the recipient of a
National Arts Fellowship, Johnson studied with Helmuth Rilling at the International Bach
Academy in Stuttgart, Germany.