Craig Hella Johnson
Craig Hella Johnson is a conductor and composer known mostly for choral conducting and as the founder of Conspirare. He has led several major ensembles and is an award-winner and educator.
Johnson was born on June 15, 1962, in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. He studied piano and voice as a student at St. Olaf College in Minnesota and graduated in 1984. He continued his studies at the Juilliard School, the University of Illinois, and Yale University, where he earned his doctorate. Upon receiving a National Arts Fellowship, Johnson studied choral conducting at the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart with Helmuth Rilling.
In 1991, Johnson founded the choral group Conspirare (originally the New Texas Festival) and has since served as its artistic director. He continued to serve in that position and conduct the choir as of the mid-2020s. Conspirare later expanded into a full-time professional choir, and Johnson has led it to numerous award wins and nominations. Johnson made his recording debut with that group in 2004 on the album Through the Green Fuse. Johnson and Conspirare have been nominated for six Grammy Awards, winning in 2015 for The Sacred Spirit of Russia. In 2016, Conspirare premiered Johnson's oratorio Considering Matthew Shepherd.
Aside from leading Conspirare, he has served as the director of choral music at the University of Texas from 1990 to 2001 and as the artistic director of the vocal group Chanticleer from 1998 to 1999. He was the conductor and artistic director of the Victoria Bach Festival from 1992 to 2015, serving as conductor emeritus since 2015. In 2013, he was named the music director of the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, and in 2016, he was named the resident artist in choral music at Texas State University. He has guest conducted the Austin Symphony and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras, among other ensembles. Johnson has recorded for several labels, including Harmonia Mundi and Clarion. He led Conspirare on the 2019 Delos album Hope of Living: Choral Music of Jake Runestad, which earned a Grammy nomination. Johnson and Conspirare released the album The Singing Guitar on Delos in 2020, joining various U.S. guitar quartets, and they returned in 2023 with the album House of Belonging. In 2013, Johnson was named the Texas State Musician, becoming only the second classical musician to hold the title.
© TiVo Staff /TiVo
Discography
21 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Sacred Spirit of Russia (Gretchaninov - Kastalsky - Rachmaninov)
Conspirare and Craig Hella Johnson
Sacred Vocal Music - Released by harmonia mundi on 10 Feb 2014
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
House of Belonging
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Delos on 8 Sep 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Close to You - Carillon Christmas 2019 (Live)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 10 Sep 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Robert Kyr: The Cloud of Unknowing: Songs of the Soul
Craig Hella Johnson, Victoria Bach Festival, Conspirare
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by harmonia mundi on 25 Aug 2014
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Thorns On the Rose
Classical - Released by Booker Music on 1 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Go Light Your World - Conspirare Christmas 2018 (Recorded Live at the Carillon) (Live)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Ambient/New Age - Released by Conspirare on 20 Mar 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Start From Here - Conspirare Christmas 2014 (Live)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Ambient/New Age - Released by Conspirare on 10 Dec 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pablo Neruda: The Poet Sings
Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare and Conspirare Chamber Players
Classical - Released by harmonia mundi on 11 Sep 2015
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Beautiful City - Conspirare Christmas 2016 (Recorded Live at The Carillon)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 1 Dec 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Unclouded Day - Conspirare Christmas 2013 (Recorded Live at The Carillon)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 20 Nov 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sing Joy - Conspirare Christmas 2017
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 5 Apr 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love Again - Conspirare Christmas 2007 (Recorded Live at The Carillon)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 1 Jun 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
This is to Mother You / Holding Carol
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 5 Apr 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Sweet Crushed Angel / My Funny Valentine (LI)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Conspirare on 5 Apr 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Caricias (Live)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 5 Apr 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gaudete (Live)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 8 Nov 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
One Voice - Conspirare Christmas 2012 (Recorded Live at The Carillon)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 1 Jun 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Singing Heart - Conspirare Christmas 2015 (Recorded Live at The Carillon)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 1 Jan 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sing Joy (Live)
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 20 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wildflowers
Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson
Classical - Released by Conspirare on 23 Aug 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
2019 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA): 2019 TMEA Texas Two-Year College All-State Choir [Live]
2019 TMEA Texas Two-Year College All-State Choir, Craig Hella Johnson, Joshua Chai, Unknown Artist
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Mark Records on 4 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo