NATCHITOCHES – Canadian pianist Carter Johnson will perform at Northwestern State University at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 in Magale Recital Hall as part of the Louisiana Piano Series International. Tickets are $20. Johnson is the guest artist for the Louisiana Music Teachers Association State Conference that NSU is hosting Oct. 8-9. The concert will be livestreamed at www.nsula.edu/livestream.
Johnson will present a masterclass featuring performances by NSU piano majors Jose Luzuriaga, Erick Cabrera and Steven Mendoza on Oct. 9. Dr. Chialing Hsieh and Dr. Francis Yang will also present a conference session that includes performances by NSU piano majors. Additionally, Irene Gomez and Melissa Patino will represent NSU by presenting their own sessions at the conference. Dr. John Price is the LMTA State Collegiate chair and will host the Collegiate Hour, during which students from across the state will present their research and demonstrate pedagogical pieces.
Celebrated for his warm stage presence, compelling musical personality and cutting-edge programming, Johnson is known for making classical music speak to all kinds of audiences. With playing described as “sincere, communicative and intelligent,” “drop-dead gorgeous” and “the greatest thing since sliced bread,” Johnson’s competitive laurels include being a finalist in the 2025 Van Cliburn Competition and winner of the 2025 Dublin Competition, the first Canadian to achieve this honor – as well as being the silver laureate in both the 2025 Honens and the 2024 Gina Bachauer Competition. He is a recipient of the CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Prize.
Highlights of Johnson’s 2026-27 season include recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Spivey Hall and Merkin Hall, a return engagement with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and debuts with the Omaha and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, making his TSO debut alongside Angela Hewitt in Mozart’s Double Concerto. He has previously appeared with orchestras including the Polish National Radio Symphony, RTÉ National Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Utah Symphony and Poznań Philharmonic Orchestras, and at music festivals including OSM Virée classique, Festival of the Sound, Trasimeno Music Festival and the Miami International Piano Festival.
Johnson was born on Vancouver Island and holds degrees from the University of British Columbia, the Juilliard School and Yale University, where he is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate. Trained in elocution, he frequently incorporates spoken commentary into his recitals and maintains a strong interest in experimental and interdisciplinary programming. He resides in Connecticut with his wife and three children.
For more information on NSU’s Department of Music, visit https://www.nsula.edu/academics/colleges-and-schools/school-of-creative-and-performing-arts/music/.