Artist Profile: Jennifer Johnson

Oboist Jennifer Johnson is on a roll, both in her home state of Colorado and in her adopted state, California. A member of the LA Opera Orchestra, she is also Principal Oboe of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra and plays with the Santa Barbara Symphony. She has played with many other orchestras, including the Colorado, Pasadena, Long Beach, Berkeley, and AYS Symphonies, the Fresno Philharmonic, and the YMF Debut and Reno Chamber Orchestras. A major highlight for her was serving as Principal Oboe of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta on two trips to Hong Kong, in 2007 and 2008.

She began her musical life as a pianist but then turned her attention to oboe, studying with Peter Cooper at the University of Colorado. She earned a master’s degree at USC, studying with Allan Vogel and David Weiss. Additionally she received an Artist’s Diploma from the Colburn School Conservatory in 2010.

After being awarded the second prize in the Aspen Music Festival concerto competition in 2009, Ms. Johnson was the recipient of the prestigious Oboe Fellowship in 2011 and 2012, giving her the opportunity to study with Elaine Douvas of the Metropolitan Opera and with Richard Woodhams of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She has also participated in the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland under the direction of Pierre Boulez.

Jennifer is also an active chamber musician. She is a member of Midnight Winds, a wind quintet, and of the Troy Trio (oboe, bassoon, and piano), both of which are active in the LA area, and she enjoys playing performances with other groups as well.

“Playing chamber music gives me the chance to communicate on a very intimate level and to have my voice be heard,” Jennifer said. “I especially love small group settings because there is so much that can be done with the music when everyone is equally involved. It’s fun to explore different instrument combinations, and playing everything from Mozart to brand new compositions is thrilling. The musicians I will be working with on our performances in June are spectacular, and I couldn’t be happier sharing my love of music with every one of them, and with such a wonderful selection of pieces to play.”