ABOUT JCJ
John Craig Johnson, baritone, has been praised internationally by Opera News as a distinguished voice of "solid technical facility and impressive, rich, singing."
Mr. Johnson has performed with Los Angeles Opera, San Diego Opera, Long Beach Opera, and Opera de Tijuana.
He holds a DMA in Voice from the University of Southern Califoria's Thorton School of Music.
"And as Andrée, Johnson paints a vocal portrait of a thoughtful but misguided man blinded by fame (“Pride and Ambition”) and ultimately broken by sorrow for his colleagues (Final Words”)." - San Diego Union Tribune
John Craig Johnson has performed over forty operatic roles on stage, with the Los Angeles Times calling him “very appealing” and a singer who “handled roles with honor and conviction.” He has sung principal roles with Los Angeles Opera (in the world premiere of Nathan Wang’s On Gold Mountain, the inaugural Voices of California project), Long Beach Opera, Orange County Opera, Opera de Tijuana, and the San Bernardino, Bakersfield, and Palisades Symphonies. He has been heralded as "the star of the evening . . . deliciously comic and richly sung" by the Pasadena Star for his Papageno in Die Zauberflöte.
Dr. Johnson is the recipient of various awards from many prestigious organizations, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (San Bernardino District Winner), Carmel Music Society Vocal Competition, the Léni Fé Bland Performance Grant, and the Nunzio Crisci Opera Competition.
Equally comfortable in the world of musical theater, Mr. Johnson has received critical praise for his roles with Intrepid Theatre, Coronado Playhouse, and OB Playhouse in Woody Guthrie’s American Song, Fly By Night, and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.
He continues to sing both opera and musical theater roles and collaborates frequently with San Diego Opera, Opera de Tijuana, OB Playhouse, Coronado Playhouse, and Intrepid Theatre. Dr. Johnson is an alumnus of OperaWorks! and continues to sing with the organization in special events. At the National Classical Singer Convention, he collaborated with OperaWorks!' founder and director, Ann Baltz, in presenting an “operavisation” workshop.
Dr. Johnson was born in Arkansas, where he obtained his B.S. in Music at Southern Nazarene University. He also holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Oklahoma, as well as a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California, where he was honored as the outstanding DMA Vocal Arts Graduate of the Year. He resides in San Diego, CA with his wife Tami, and their three teenage children.
