Reuben Johnson
About
Pianist
Australian/American pianist Reuben Johnson has repeatedly proved himself as a versatile and sensitive musician in both collaborative and solo endeavours. In 2024, Reuben is undertaking his third year at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), continuing his studies with Timothy Young.
In 2021, Reuben graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University with a Bachelor of Music, under the tutelage of Oleg Stepanov. Other important mentors have included Daniel de Borah (Australia) and Paavali Jumppanen (Finland/Australia).
Reuben has consistently won awards at national and international events. These include the Ursala Hoff Award for the best performance of a classical work in an ANAM recital (2022) and first place at the Bolder Bach Festival’s Online Bach Competition (2021), where he was the only Australian prize-winner.
Reuben has been a professional member of choirs at St Stephen’s Cathedral, Brisbane, and previously The Washington National Opera, Maryland. He is also currently an organist at the Wesley Uniting Church, Box Hill, where he plays a Henry Willis Organ, built in 1877.
Reuben has performed and recorded the premieres of works by several Australian composers including Nicole Murphy, Frankie Dyson Reilly and Christopher Sainsbury. Other recent performance highlights have included: Messiaen’s Quartour Pour la Fin du Temps and Bach’s Goldberg Variations; concerto appearances with QCGU Orchestra and Melbourne Youth Orchestra; cycles of solo and chamber music by John Cage, George Crumb, Brahms, Liszt, Chopin and Rachmaninov with ANAM musicians; as well as orchestral performances under Johannes Fritz, Simone Young and Giordano Bellincampi.