Adam Johnson

Award-winning Canadian conductor Adam Johnson has been praised as “an exciting talent” and for his “charismatic, commanding presence” on the podium. In 2016 he became Assistant Conductor of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and was appointed Resident Conductor for the 2018–2019 season. He collaborated closely with Music Director Kent Nagano on award-winning recordings for Decca and Analekta and has conducted more than 65 concerts with the MSO, working with renowned soloists such as Jean-Philipe Collard, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Charles Richard-Hamelin, and Patricia Kopatchinskaja, among others.

Prior to his tenure in Montréal, Johnson served for three seasons with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and maintains a frequent presence on the podium as guest conductor. He regularly appears as guest conductor with major orchestras across Canada, and has guest-conducted the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and members of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchestre Hamburg.

In 2015, Adam Johnson received the prestigious Jean-Marie Beaudet Award for Orchestral Conducting from the Canada Council for the Arts, and recently won an OPUS award for best youth concert of 2018. He holds a Doctorate in Piano Performance from the Université de Montréal and a Prize in Orchestral Conducting from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal.