David Hackbridge Johnson initially took violin lessons with Louis Rutland, piano lessons with Martin Wilson and singing lessons with Fabian Smith and Arthur Reckless, before becoming a jazz musician for fifteen years, in which capacity he appeared in festivals at Montreux, Glion and Hay-on-Wye. As a conductor and recitalist, he has specialised in performing neglected composers, among them Ina Boyle, Havergal Brian, Ruth Gipps and Joseph Holbrooke. Among his 600 or so compositions are eighteen symphonies, over a dozen tone-poems and concertos, and hundreds of songs and chamber pieces. His most recent commissions have been operatic: Madeleine, written for the 50th anniversary of Surrey Opera, and Blaze of Glory!, written for the 75th anniversary of Welsh National Opera. Currently in pre-production is a third opera, Victim, to a libretto by Jonathan Butcher. Four volumes of his orchestral music have been released on Toccata Classics, the first three conducted by Paul Mann, the most recent featuring the 18th Symphony and the 3rd Piano Concerto with Jonathan Powell, piano, and the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer. The Steinway label has issued an album of his piano music played by Lowell Liebermann. His poems and essays have appeared in The Guardian, PN Review, Angel Exhaust, The Fortnightly Review, and Shearsman magazine. He is involved in the publication of experimental poetry through The Loxham Press. He holds degrees from the Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College of Music, the University of Surrey and the University of Kingston. The last of these institutions awarded him a Ph.D. in 2016. He is in his fourth season as conductor of Streatham St Bart’s Chamber Orchestra.

Recordings

Works List:

1. Three Disused Stations, Op. 463
2. Six Preludes for ‘Charles II’, Op. 392
3. Divisions of Mr. Simons’ Prelude, Op. 408
4. A Pocketful of Tunes, Op. 437
5. Seven Verses, Op. 395
6. Alleyway, Pastoral, River Fallas, Op. 439
7. Three Preludes for the Jacob Rayman Viola, Op. 393
8. Will Rosin of Wapping (with words from Tatler Volume 1709), Op. 429