Daniel Johnson

Daniel Johnson, lyric baritone, D.M.A., recently completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Utah, where he studied vocal performance and vocology with Dr. Seth Keeton and Dr. Lynn Maxfield, respectively. Dr. Johnson is well-known for his concert work, especially with the University’s Baroque Student Music Group, with whom he presented the Utah première of Die andere Kaffeekantate, composed by an anonymous contemporary of J. S. Bach. In December 2016 he sang the bass solo role in Brigham City Orchestra’s presentation of Messiah, and in May 2018 he sang the baritone role in Carmina burana with the American West Symphony. He is a passionate song recitalist, most recently presenting a program entitled Songs for the Inner Child featuring songs by English and American composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries at Blinn College (April 2019).

Also known for his operatic performances, Dr. Johnson performed several roles with the University of Utah’s Lyric Opera Ensemble, including Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Sergeant Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Maximilian in Candide, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, and Ebenezer Scrooge in the 2016 world première of Michael Leavitt’s A Christmas Carol, with a reprise in the 2017 season.

In his February 2018 capstone recital, Dr. Johnson collaborated with the University of Utah’s Opera Workshop to present a chronological and historical examination of Leonard Bernstein’s compositions and his effect on American culture. Furthermore, Dr. Johnson’s April 2018 dissertation (Trouble in Tahiti: Bernstein’s American Opera) specifically examines that work’s unique influence on American music and culture.

Dr. Johnson also excels as a vocal pedagogue and coach. He has taught privately and at the collegiate level for ten years, and in 2017 he became a certified vocologist through the National Center for Voice and Speech's Summer Vocology Institute. He is an experienced music theory and aural skills trainer as well.

Dr. Johnson joined the voice faculty at Blinn College in January 2019 and currently assists with the choral and music theory programs while maintaining a thriving private voice studio, both at the college and independently. He currently resides in Washington, Texas, with his wife, Adele, and their three sons.