Past Programs
featuring
Craig Randal Johnson

Arius Chamber Ensemble 2005 - 2006 Season

Minneapolis, MN
www.ariuschambermusic.org

Craig Johnson plays Double Bass with this professional group of 10 - 12 string players, without conductor.

This program will be repeated in fall 2005. Other programs to be presented at the Minneapolis Southern Theater, as well as out-of-town and at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Bloomington MN. Visit the Arius Chamber Music web site for current and upcoming 2005-2006 concert information.

Music Director / Organizer
Finn Grand Fest 2005 Gala Symphony Concert

August 11, 2005/ 7:30 PM
Lakeview Arena
Marquette, Michigan

Craig Randal Johnson conducts the performance, with the exception of the Bass Concerto.

www.finngrandfest2005.com is the official web site for Finn Grand Fest 2005. Visit the site for registration information, schedules, and more information about the events.

Music Director and Conductor
Superior Festival Orchestra

Summer 2005
Superior Festival Orchestra, Marquette MI
Craig Randal Johnson, conducting
www.superiorstringalliance.com

July 31, 2005/ 7:30 PM
Reynolds Auditorium, Northern Michigan University, Marquette MI
Catherine LeGrand, Soloist

August 5, 2005/7:30 PM
Reynolds Auditorium, Northern Michigan University, Marquette MI

August 6, 2005/7:30 PM
William A. Oliver Auditorium, Escanaba MI

Accompanist: International Society of Bassists (ISB) Convention

June 6 to June 11, 2005
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

June 8, 2005/ Wednesday at 2:00 PM
Preview of Jukka Linkola's new Double Bass Concerto, commissioned by Finn Grand Fest 2005.
(Premiere with orchestra on August 11, 2005, in Marquette, MI.)
Evan Premo, Double Bassist
Craig Randal Johnson, Pianist

June 10, 2005/ Friday at 2:00 PM
Recital of the Music of Spain and Catalonia
Josp Quer Agusti (Spain), Double Bassist
Craig Randal Johnson, Pianist

See the ISB convention web site for more information.

Arius Chamber Music

Visit the Arius Chamber Music web site for current and upcoming 2005 concert information in the Minneapolis area.

Craig Randal Johnson is the bassist for these concerts. Watch the Arius Chamber Music web site for 2005-2006 programs!

Piano Music from Finland
Finnish Heritage Days

Saturday, July 31, 2004 / mid-day
Finnish Heritage Days
Crystal Falls, Michigan

Finnish and Scandinavian Piano Music
27th Annual Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival

June 25 through 27, 2004
Moorhead, Minnesota / Fargo, North Dakota

Craig Randal Johnson is featured in several performances at the 27th Annual Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival.

For more information, see Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival web site.

Craig Randal Johnson conducting 'Fate and Figaro' performance

Sunday, March 7, 2004/ 1:00 PM
Bloomington Arts Center
1800 W Old Shakopee Road
Bloomington, MN

Sunday, March 14, 2004/ 3:00 PM
St. Michael Lutheran Church
9201 Normandale Boulevard
Bloomington, MN

This co-production of the Arius Chamber Music Society and the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra features the Beethoven Symphony No. 5, as well as the Mozart 'Marriage of Figaro' Overture, and three baritone arias sung by Jake Endres (one each of Dr. Bartolo, the Count and Figaro himself). At the very opening of the program is a new brass fanfare composed by orchestra member Marian Casey. The concert is especially recommended for families and children.

Tickets: $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5 students.

Piano Recital
Hjemkomst Festival Benefit Performance

February 28, 2004
Hjemkomst Center
Moorhead, MN

Piano Music from Finland
Craig Randal Johnson

February 7, 2004/ 7:00 PM
James W. Mann Performing Arts Center
New York Mills, MN

Sponsored by the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center.

Piano Accompanist: Competitions and Programs
International Society of Bassists Convention

June 2 - 7, 2003
University of Richmond/ Richmond, Virginia

Craig Johnson accompanied bassists including Evan Premo (MI), Nicholas Bayley (Scotland), and bassists from Australia and Taiwan.

Craig Randal Johnson Solo Piano Recital

Presented by
The Marquette Community Concert Association

February 14, 2003/ 7: 30 PM
Kaufman Auditorium
611 North Front Street
Marquette, Michigan

This full piano recital features works by Maurice Ravel, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Wynn-Anne Rossi, and other composers.

Robert Selvala Memorial Symphony Concert
Finnfest USA 2002, Minneapolis

Ted Mann Concert Hall/ University of Minnesota
Sunday, August 11, 2002/ 2:00 PM
Ulla Suokko, Flute Soloist
Eeva Savolainen, Soprano
James Koenig, Baritone
Craig Randal Johnson, Conductor

The Finnfest Symphony Orchestra included members of the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic, Jyväskylä Symphony, the Berlin Symphony, and the South Dakota Symphony, as well as Minneapolis-area jobbers. The concert is scheduled to be broadcast in February, 2003, by public radio station WNMU ("Radio 90") in Marquette, Michigan.

Piano Music from Finland
Finnfest USA 2002, Minneapolis

Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall
Ferguson Hall/ West Bank
University of Minnesota
August 8, 2002/ 11:00 AM
Craig Randal Johnson, Pianist

"Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin
Piano Solo with Concert Band in the Ferde Grofe Arrangement

January 20, 2002
The Fridley City Band/ Phil Raaen, Conductor
Church of St. William/ Fridley, MN

Craig performed the Rhapsody in Blue with the Concert Band, on a program which included various popular selections for band, as well as music performed by the Northeast Orchestra.

Superior String Alliance Chamber Concert

December 28, 2001
Peter White Memorial Library
Marquette, Michigan

"Luther", an Opera in Two Acts
Kari Tikka

October 25, 26, and 27, 2001
Central Lutheran Church/ Minneapolis, MN

This fully staged, two-hour work, featuring solo singers from the Finnish National Opera and the Augsburg College Masterworks Chorale with the composer conducting, was a co-production of Luther Seminary, the Finnish National Opera and Augsburg College. Sung in English, the event played to between 8,000 and 9,000 people.

Craig Johnson worked as:

• Rehearsal and Choral Accompanist
• Prompter during the performances

For more information, see the Performances page on the Luther Opera web site.

Ensemble Warhol

March 23 and 24, 2001
Red Eye Theater Isolated Acts Series 2001/ Minneapolis, MN

Rehearsal Conductor for "The Blind Tongue", by Mark Warhol.
    Francoise Vanhecke, Soprano
    Jake Endres, Baritone
    Catherine Issalys, Flute
    Michel Viau, Marimba
(No conductor used in the actual performances.)

Mindekirken Concert Series

November 19, 2000
Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church/ Minneapolis, MN

Craig Johnson played piano works by Sibelius and Gade. This program included works by various Nordic composers played by several performers.

Luther Reformation Festival Evening Concert

October 27, 2000 at Luther Seminary/ St. Paul, MN

Seven Spiritual Songs, Composed by Kari Tikka
    Sauli Tiilikainen, Baritone
    Craig Johnson, Piano

Sauli Tiilikainen and Kari Tikka are members of the Finnish National Opera

Ensemble Warhol

March 23, 2000 at the Landmark Center/ St. Paul, MN
March 26, 2000 at the Loring Playhouse/ Minneapolis, MN

Crazy Rabbit Songs (1998), by Mark Warhol
    Jean Mornard, Soprano,
    Catherine Issalys, Flute
    Craig Johnson, Piano

Big Bills, An American Mosaic (1999), by Keith Carpenter
    Jean Mornard, Soprano
    Rebecca Kite, Marimba
    Craig Johnson, Piano
    Patrick McGuire, Poet

Songs of Sentimentality and Nostalgia, by Charles Ives
    Jake Endres, Baritone
    Craig Johnson, Piano

Piano Music from Finland

November 3, 1999, 5:00 pm
The Hartt School of Music
Wilde Auditorium
Harry Jack Gray Center
University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT

Craig performed a solo piano recital, Piano Music from Finland, as the Finlandia Foundation's Performer of the Year. The program was the second of three recitals on Hartt's International PianoFest, which also featured recitals by the Swiss pianist Claudia Ruegg on October 20 and Kumi Ogano on November 17.

The program consisted of music by Finnish composers, plus one work by the German composer Hanns Eisler:

Piano Concert for Raahe's 350th Year

May 25, 1999
Raahesali
Raahe, Finland

Craig Johnson was invited to perform a piano concert honoring the 350th year of Raahe, Finland.

Lone Star Finnish Institute Banquet

May 12, 1999
Lone Star Finnish Institute
Dallas, Texas

Lands to the East

April 11, 1999
Norwegian Church
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Craig Johnson joined several other Twin Cities musicians to perform a variety of works by Scandinavian composers.

Piano, Pulla, & Pre-Pääsiäisaamun Pleasantries

March 28, 1999
Los Angeles, California

The American Scandinavian Foundation of Los Angeles presented the Suomi Solstice Sunday Salon in Silverlake, featuring Pianist/Conductor Craig Johnson, National Finlandia Foundation Performer of the Year.

Finlandia Foundation Recital

March 27, 1999
National meeting of the Finlandia Foundation
Pasadena, California

Finlandia Foundation Performer of the Year, Craig Johnson, performed a selection of Finnish compositions. Craig's performance was sponsored by the National Finlandia Foundation.

Finlandia Foundation Performer of the Year Recitals

Presented by the Finnish-American Society of the Midwest.

    October 31, 1999, 2:00 pm
    Estonian House
    Illinois Highway 21
    Lincolnshire, Illinois (greater Chicago area)

    October 28, 1999, 8:00 PM
    Westbrook Hall
    Illinois Wesleyan University
    Bloomington, Illinois

    September 16, 1999 (evening performance)
    Delgado Community College
    New Orleans, Louisiana

    September 14, 1999, 7:30 pm
    Ralph R. Pottle Auditorium
    Southeast Louisiana University
    Hammond, Louisiana

    April 25, 1999, 5:00 pm
    Grace Lutheran Church
    3149 Waverley Street
    Palo Alto, California

    April 24, 1999, 2:00 pm
    FAHA Heritage Center
    197 West Verano Avenue
    Sonoma, California

    April 23, 1999, 7:00 pm
    Lutheran Church of the Cross
    1744 University Avenue
    Berkeley, California

    January 28, 1999
    Finnish-American Heritage Center
    Suomi College
    Hancock, Michigan

Scandinavian Ball

October 17, 1998
Denver, Colorado

Craig Johnson was featured as the guest artist. The program included piano music from the four Scandinavian countries. Composers included Neils Gade, Edvard Grieg, Joonas Kokkonen, Wilhelm Peterson-Burger, Erkki Melartin, Toivo Kuula, Jean Sibelius, and Carl Nielsen.

Eisler Centenary Gala Performance
New York City

September 26, 1998
West Park Presbyterian Church
NYC (Manhattan), New York

Craig Johnson performed the Eisler Sonata No. 1 for Piano and accompanied Ashley Horne, violinist, on the Eisler Violin Sonata. Other performers included Leonard Lehrman, Mordecai Bauman, Peter Ludwig, Erasmia Voukelatos, and the Rainbow Singers.

Program 

To Those Who Come After:
The Voice of Bertolt Brecht
An Evening of Music-Theater

Conceived by David Harris in collaboration with Eric Bentley. Featuring Manon Gimlett, David Harris, and Craig Johnson.

September 17, 18, 19, and 20, 1998
Southern Theater, Minneapolis, MN

Program 

Amerikkalaista Pianomusiikia

Contemporary American Piano Music / Craig Johnson

March 31, 1998
Helsinki, Finland

Program

Devil's Lake
Music and Nature as One

Contemporary Finnish Music / Craig Johnson, piano

February 21, 1998
St. Michael's Catholic Church, Stillwater, MN

Program

Eightieth Anniversary Commemoration Concert
of the Independence of the Republic of Finland

Unitarian Society/ Minneapolis MN
December 6, 1997
Craig Randal Johnson, Conductor and Music Director

Orchestral compositions which appeared on this program were:

To Those Who Come After:
The Voice of Bertolt Brecht

Conceived by David Harris in collaboration with Eric Bentley.

July 17 - July 20, 1997
Illusion Theater, Minneapolis, MN

Additional performances:
September 1998, Minneapolis
June 1999, Cocteau Theater, New York
and other locations around the United States in 1998-99

Program

Piano Music from Finland
Craig Johnson, Pianist

April 6, 1997/ 3:00 PM
Sundin Hall, Hamline University
1436 Hewitt Avenue/ St. Paul, MN

This program was sponsored by the Twin Cities Chapter of the Finlandia Foundation, and was supported by a grant from the National Finlandia Foundation to further the performance of Finnish music.

Songs of Hanns Eisler on WNYC in New York

WNYC Broadcast "Spinning on Air"
New York City
September 19 and 26, 1995

With dramatist Eric Bentley, baritone David Harris, and host David Garland. Translations by Eric Bentley.

Songs to texts by Brecht, Hölderlin, Anakreon, Goethe, Peter Altenberg, Pascal, and Eisler.