Composer Richard Johnson's music is harmonically strong, texturally complex and curiously melodic. Enjoyed by performers and audiences alike, his pieces are immeadiately appealing, with a depth that rewards repeated listening. In addition to composing, Richard is an active educator, improviser, and instrument builder.
Richard began composing at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, studying with Robert Stern and Salvatore Macchia. He graduated in 1996 with a dual degree in Music Education and Composition and then taught band, chorus and general music for the following two years at the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in Orleans, Massachusetts. This nontraditional environment offered unique educational opportunities and Richard developed a number of creative ways to get students interested in music and composition. During this time, Richard studied with Martin Boykan, refining his writing skills and exploring new approaches to organizing his music.
In 1999, awarded a McKnight Visiting Composer grant by the American Composers Forum, Richard spent three months in Minnesota composing and working with schools in the Twin Cities area. In the years since, he has been a resident at the MacDowell Colony, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Ucross Foundation.
In 2005 Richard, with Peter Neubert, was awarded an Encore grant by the American Composers Forum to fund performances of Listen to Ravens for viola and piano. In January 2006, he received a grant from the Eric Stokes Fund to produce an Earth Day concert on Cape Cod. Richard's music has been performed at the University of Massachusetts, Ithaca College, the University of Cincinnati and on Cape Cod.
Although Richard considers himself foremost a composer, his musicianship also expresses itself through experimental instruments and improvisation. He has invented and built numerous creative instruments, including the winslaphones, a mutant trombone with five bells, two mouthpieces, a bassoon reed, a melodica and various noisemakers. These instruments provide a valuable respite from the abstraction of composing and help Richard to keep an open mind about sonic possibilities. They have also proven to be a valuable tool for introducing audiences, especially kids, to new music.
In 2002, Richard, Raymond Kingston and Michael Gardiner formed the Zatsu Trio, a new music improvisation group. Zatsu is a unique ensemble that allows these three composers to explore musical landscapes and blend their diverse languages. In the pursuit of creating new ways for audiences to experience music, Richard has organized a variety of nontraditional performances, including walking concerts, where the audience walks a forest trail, passing musicians along the way. Richard is currently collaborating with the puppeteer Ellen Anthony for a performance in the summer of 2006.