“…technically and interpretively impeccable and passionately communicative. Nuff said.”
Boston Musical Intelligencer
Graeme Steele Johnson is an artist of uncommon imagination and versatility.
The clarinetist, curator and “musical detective” (New York Classical Review) recently garnered international attention for his rediscovery, reconstruction and recording of a 125-year-old Octet by Charles Martin Loeffler, profiled in a full-page spread by The Washington Post and named one of The New York Times’ Best Classical Albums of 2024. Johnson’s recent appearances include the Library of Congress, Chamber Music Northwest, Ravinia, and the Bridgehampton, Rockport, Moab, Orcas Island and Phoenix Chamber Music Festivals. He has appeared as a TEDx speaker, holds an exclusive recording contract with Delos/Outhere Music, and since 2022 has served as the clarinetist of WindSync, “a major force in the American chamber music landscape” (Arts and Culture Texas).
Forgotten Sounds in the News
The first album released under a new partnership between Delos and Outhere Music, Forgotten Sounds features the world-premiere recording of Charles Martin Loeffler’s forgotten Octet and marks the beginning of Graeme Steele Johnson’s exclusive recording relationship with the legendary label. Earning widespread critical acclaim, the project was profiled in a full-page spread in The Washington Post, nominated for a Gramophone Classical Music Award, named BBC Music Magazine’s Chamber Choice and one of the best classical albums of 2024 by The New York Times, Gramophone, The Times, Apple Music and Tidal.
Released in June 2024, Johnson’s debut album also includes his popular octet arrangement of Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and another little-known piece by Loeffler titled, fittingly, Timbres oubliés (Forgotten Sounds).
“Forgotten Sounds is one of the best recordings I have heard and deserves the rave reviews it has received. Johnson and his ensemble have recorded a superb album that all clarinetists will want to have in their listening libraries.”
La Jolla, California
Debussy: Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp
Harrison: Varied Trio
Ravel: Tzigane
Cage: Selections from Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano
Rimsky-Korsakov: Selection from Scheherazade [arr. Farrington]
with Efe Baltacigil, Inon Barnatan, Stefan Dohr, Sam Hager, Erin Keefe, Tessa Lark, Matthew Lipman, Rose Lombardo, Pedja Mužijević, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, Julie Smith Phillips, Blake Pouliot, Steven Schick and Andrew Wan
La Jolla, California
Bach: Chaconne in D Minor, BWV 1178
Bach: Passacaglia in C Minor, BWV 582
Chopin: Waltz “Found in New York”
Vaughan Williams: Piano Quintet in C Minor
Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 1 in D Major, K. 412/514
Loeffler: Octet for Two Clarinets, Harp, Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Double Bass [revised and reconstructed by Graeme Steele Johnson]
with Efe Baltacigil, Stefan Dohr, Sterling Elliott, Osmo Vänskä, Erin Keefe, Henry Kramer, Matthew Lipman, Anthony Manzo, Julie Smith Phillips, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, Blake Pouliot, Radu Ratoi and Andrew Wan
Annapolis, Maryland
Jolivet: Pastorales de Noël
Stravinsky: Petrushka [arr. Shapiro]
Ravel: String Quartet in F major
with Leo Sussman, Miho Saegusa, Hannah Burnett, Stephen Perkyns, Scott Cuellar and Maryanne Meyer
Annapolis, Maryland
Florence Price: Songs
Amanda Harberg: Suite for Wind Quintet
Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915 [arr. Wilden Dannenberg]
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue [arr. Gutschy]
with Melissa Wimbish, Wilden Dannenberg, Scott Cuellar, Miles Fellenberg, Jennifer Ahn, Hannah Burnett, Stephen Perkyns, Lilian Copeland, Leo Sussman and Rémy Taghavi
Annapolis, Maryland
Ravel: Mother Goose Suite
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf
with Leo Sussman, Lilian Copeland, Rémy Taghavi, Wilden Dannenberg, Jennifer Ahn, Miho Saegusa, Hannah Burnett, Stephen Perkyns and Zachary Hobin
Annapolis, Maryland
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
Robert Honstein: Patter
Fanny Mendelssohn: Piano Trio
Kenji Bunch: Summer Hours
with Leo Sussman, Lilian Copeland, Rémy Taghavi, Wilden Dannenberg and Miles Fellenberg
Annapolis, Maryland
Lutoslawski: Dance Preludes
Valerie Coleman: Revelry
Poulenc: Mouvements perpétuels
Mozart: Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter” [arr. Rémy Taghavi]
with Scott Cuellar, Jennifer Ahn, Miho Saegusa, Hannah Burnett, Stephen Perkyns, Zachary Hobin, Leo Sussman, Lilian Copeland, Rémy Taghavi and Wilden Dannenberg
Houston, Texas
Nicky Sohn: Yardbird Suite
Quincy Jones: The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
John Adams/arr. Preben Antonsen: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Kenji Bunch: Summer Hours
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue [arr. Gutschy]
with Jon Kimura Parker and WindSync
Alessano, Italy
Gershwin/Mangani: Blues from An American in Paris
Debussy: Première rhapsodie
Duke Ellington: The Single Petal of a Rose [trans. Graeme Steele Johnson after Ken Peplowski]
Viet Cuong: Apparition
Brahms: Sonata In E-flat Major for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120, No. 2
with Alexey Zuev
Waxahachie, Texas
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue [arr. Gutschy]
Additional repertoire TBD
with Jon Kimura Parker and WindSync
Chicago, Illinois
Poulenc: Sonata for Two Clarinets
Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115
Loeffler: Octet for Two Clarinets, Harp, Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Double Bass [revised and reconstructed by Graeme Steele Johnson]
with Zachary Good, Charles Overton, Rachell Ellen Wong, Siwoo Kim, Tanner Menees, Alexander Hersh and Kit Polen
Phoenix, Arizona
Väsen/arr. Kara LaMoure: Linnaeus Polones
Carl Nielsen: Quintet
Osvaldo Golijov/arr. Kara LaMoure: Tenebrae
Viet Cuong: Flora
with WindSync
Las Vegas, Nevada
Väsen/arr. Kara LaMoure: Linnaeus Polones
Carl Nielsen: Quintet
Osvaldo Golijov/arr. Kara LaMoure: Tenebrae
Viet Cuong: Flora
with WindSync
New York, New York
Seth Grosshandler: Miniatures on 853-4542 for Clarinet, Cello and Piano
Robert Schumann: Märchenerzählungen for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Op. 132
with Matthew Lipman, Audrey Chen and Min Young Kang
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Nadia Boulanger/arr. LaMoure: Three Pieces
Philip Glass/arr. LaMoure: Etude No. 17
Elliott Carter: Woodwind Quintet (1948)
Osvaldo Golijov/arr. Kara LaMoure: Tenebrae
Viet Cuong: Flora
with WindSync
New Haven, Connecticut
Nadia Boulanger/arr. LaMoure: Three Pieces
Philip Glass/arr. LaMoure: Etude No. 17
Viet Cuong: Flora
Elliott Carter: Woodwind Quintet (1948)
Quincy Jones/arr. Owen Broder: The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
George Gershwin/arr. Reinhard Gutschy: Rhapsody in Blue
with Melvin Chen and WindSync
New Haven, Connecticut
Seth Grosshandler: Miniatures on 853-4542 for Clarinet, Cello and Piano
Robert Schumann: Märchenerzählungen for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Op. 132
with Matthew Lipman, Audrey Chen and Min Young Kang
Charleston, South Carolina
Mozart: Quintet for Basset Clarinet and Strings in A major, K. 581
Loeffler: Octet for Two Clarinets, Harp, Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Double Bass [revised and reconstructed by Graeme Steele Johnson]
with Stella Chen, Francis Hsieh, Ben Weiss, Timothy O’Malley, Zachary Hobin, Charles Messersmith and Eric Sabatino
Macon, Georgia
Väsen/arr. Kara LaMoure: Linnaeus Polones
Carl Nielsen: Quintet
Nathalie Joachim: Stumble, Fall, Fly
Viet Cuong: Flora
Lansing, Michigan
Väsen/arr. Kara LaMoure: Linnaeus Polones
Carl Nielsen: Quintet
Osvaldo Golijov/arr. Kara LaMoure: Tenebrae
Viet Cuong: Flora
with WindSync
New York, New York
Martin Bresnick: “And I Always Thought” for Clarinet, Violin and Piano
with Emma Meinrenken and Lisa Moore
Chicago, Illinois
Stravinsky: Pulcinella [arr. Kirschbaum]
Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115
with Anita Graef and Juliani Ensemble
Houston, Texas
Repertoire TBD
with Rachell Ellen Wong, David Belkovski, Austin Lewellen, WindSync and more
Houston, Texas
Poulenc: Mouvements perpétuels
Berio: Beatles Songs
Beethoven: Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20
with Rachell Ellen Wong, David Belkovski, Austin Lewellen, WindSync and more
Blue Hill, Maine
Väsen/arr. Kara LaMoure: Linnaeus Polones
Carl Nielsen: Quintet
Antonio Vivaldi/arr. LaMoure: Trio Sonata in D minor “La Follia,” RV 63
Viet Cuong: Flora
with WindSync
Charleston, South Carolina
Jonathan Ragonese: non-poem 4
Mieczysław Weinberg: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 28
Viet Cuong: Apparition
Poulenc: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
with Min Young Kang
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