Events Archive
2023
Australian Chamber Music Festival, Townsville
28 July – 6 August
Includes talk on How Shostakovich Changed My Mind, with book signing
Performance of Angel’s Arc (29/7, 3.30pm)
World Premiere of The Nimble and Roguish Paw – (31/7, 10.00am)
Presteigne Music Festival
Presteigne Festival Lecture: Johnson on Janacek (28/8, 11.00am)
Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival
29 September – 2 October
Pre-Concert Talks & Interviews
Memorial Concert for Matthew Rye, Wigmore Hall, London
5 October
Performance of Angel’s Arc
Aspect Foundation for Music and the Arts
Bohemian Theatre, New York
26 October
Introductions to concert Inspired by Others
2022
Feb 3
Kings Place, London
String Quartet
Brodsky Quartet
Nov
G Live, Guildford
String Quartet
Brodsky Quartet
2021
Oct 1
Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival
Angel’s Arc
Matthew Hunt, clarinet, & the Carducci Quartet
Oct 3
Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival
Lili Boulanger: Vielle prière bouddhique – Chamber Version
by Stephen Johnson (Voces 8 & ensemble)
Nov 11
Warwick Arts Centre
String Quartet (premiere)
Brodsky Quartet
Nov 18
Bohemian Theatre, New York
Angel’s Arc (American premiere)
Alexander Bedenko, clarinet, & the Ariel Quartet
Nov 22
G Live, Guildford
String Quartet
Brodsky Quartet
2019
Angel’s Arc, for clarinet and string quartet
Performers:
Emma Johnson, clarinet
Carducci, string quartet
Dates:
London Cadogan Hall – Thurs 24 January 2019, 7.30pm
Guildford G Live – Sat 9 February 2019, 7.30pm
Warwick Arts Centre – Thurs 28 February 2019, 7.30pm
Programme:
Brahms – Clarinet Quintet (35 mins, 1891)
Interval
Johnson – Clarinet Quintet, Angel’s Arc (14 – 15 mins, 2018)
Mozart – Clarinet Quintet (30 mins, 1789)
2/1 20.00
Arts for Hungerford
Talk on How Shostakovich Changed My Mind
25-27/2
Martin Randall Travel: Rising Stars Weekend
Castle Hotel, Taunton
Talks & Interviews
7/2 18.15
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Time to Talk Day’
Philharmonic Hall, Hope St, Liverpool
Talk on How Shostakovich Changed My Mind
6/3 10.15
Music in Time and Place
Christ Church, Kensington
Talk on Shostakovich’s Eighth String Quartet
15-17/3
BBCSSO Viva Espana
Aberdeen Concert Hall
Talks
19/3 19.30
Love, Faith and Fate
Leighton House, London
Concert Presentation
22/3 7.30
BBC Philharmonic: Discovering Bohulsav Martinu
Nottingham Theatre Royal
Talk on Martinu with orchestral illustrations
13/4
East Midlands Elgar Society
Talk on Elgar and Schumann
25/4
East Anglian Elgar Society
Talk on Elgar and Schumann
30/4-6/5
Leipzig
Cultural Travel Company
Introductory talks on Wagner’s The Ring
9/5 6.15
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Pre-concert talk on Brahms
28/6-02/7
Martin Randall Travel: West Cork Chamber Music Festival
Talks & Interviews
July 18 – August 2
Verbier Festival
Pre-concert lectures
August 10
Proms Plus
Imperial College Union (London), 17.45
Pre-Concert discussion on Bruckner, Symphony No 4
August 23
Proms Plus
Imperial College Union (London), 17.45
Pre-Concert discussion on Bruckner, Symphony No 8
August 27
Presteigne Festival
Assembly Rooms, 10.30
Illustrated talk on Aaron Copland
August 31 – September 7
Danube Music Festival (Martin Randall Travel)
Pre-concert lectures
September 26 – 29
Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival
Pre-concert talks
October 3
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Philharmonic Hall, 18.15
Pre-concert talk
October 19
The Maltings, Snape, Suffolk
Britten-Pears Foundation
Discovery Day on Shostakovich and 20th Century Russian Music
October 29
Leighton House, London, 6.15
Talk on my book How Shostakovich Changed My Mind (followed by concert of 20th century Russian music)
November 23
Martin Randall Lecture Day
1 Great George St, London
Talk on Music and Mental Healing
Events 2017
January
11/1 Nottingham: Royal Concert Hall, 7.30
Discovering Music: Shostakovich Symphony No 8
With Nicholas Collin and BBC Philharmonic
14/1 BBC Radio 3: Record Review
Building a Library: Beethoven’s String Quartet Op 127
22/1 London: Royal Festival Hall. 6.00
Pre-concert talk: Bruckner Symphony No 9
26/1 New York: Aspect Foundation for Music & Arts, 7.30
Concert-Lecture on Romantic Vienna
February
5/2 London: LSO St Luke’s
LSO Discovery Day: Carl Nielsen
17/2 Bristol Concert Hall, 7.30
Concert-Lecture: Rimsky-Korsakov
22/2 London: Royal Festival Hall, 6.15
Talk: Belief and Beyond Belief, ‘Memory of an Angel’ – Berg & Shostakovich
March
19/3 Glasgow: City Halls, 2.00
Discovering Music: The music of Rued Langgaard
With Thomas Dausgaard and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
April
26/4 London: Royal Festival Hall, 6.15
Talk: Belief & Beyond Belief, ‘Heaven and Earth’ – Mahler’s Eighth Symphony and the German tradition
May
1/5 Oxford: Oxford May Music
Lecture (TBA)
9/5 Bristol: Colton Hall, 7.30
Concert-Lecture: Shostakovich
10/5 Birmingham: Symphony Hall, 7.30
Pre-concert talk: Vaughan Williams & Bax
11/5-12/5 Worcester – Malvern
Conducted Elgar Walks, for The Musical Brain
Audience Feedback
SJ conveys knowledge and passion in fascinating language
Just heard the riveting 90 minutes of Stephen Johnson on Ravel. I’m not a pianist, but SJ made me see Ravel as a major piano technician, as an innovator, as a genius. All credit to Johnson’s persuasive and utterly unpretentious manner, analytic skills, and sheer quietly infectious enthusiasm without histrionics or self-promotion. Some lovely playing too by Cedric Tiberghien of Gaspard de la Nuit in particular.
Marvellous knowledge, fluency, musicianship, vocabulary, enthusiasm, generosity…
SJ really knows his stuff and everything he puts together is immaculately researched and INTERESTING. Very much “Old School” Radio 3 and thank goodness he is still around…
Gives insight into literature as well
Hermes – it is funny you should say that about getting SJ presenting the Proms, because the very same thought went through my mind too. He’s articulate, he knows concert protocol (no gushing interjections from him a millisecond after the conductor puts down his arms,) and umm… he isn’t bad on the eyes either.
Compelling
May I second the praise for Stephen Johnson, a terrific asset for R3 and an object lesson in modest and self-effacing presentation skills underpinned by a first rate understanding and love of his subject.