Rich Johnson

Rich Johnson is an American composer, educator, and storyteller whose music moves comfortably between the concert hall, the film screen, and collaborative performance. His work often explores the intersection of narrative and sound, drawing from classical tradition, jazz language, and the cinematic instincts of film scoring. Whether writing for concert and jazz bands, chamber ensembles, or visual media, Johnson’s music is driven by a fascination with atmosphere, motion, and the emotional architecture of storytelling.

 

Johnson studied music education at the Crane School of Music at State University of New York at Potsdam before continuing his studies in composition at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in Australia. There he earned both a Master of Music Studies and a Master of Music in Composition, studying under Australian composers Brenton Broadstock and Stuart Greenbaum. His time in Melbourne expanded his musical language and deepened his interest in composition as a form of narrative craft.

 

His music has been performed internationally, including at the Wangaratta International Jazz Festival in Australia and the Festival Internazionale della Musica Linari Classic in Italy, as well as at honor band festivals and concerts throughout the United States. His concert band works have received recognition through the Pathways Composition Competition and the Fusion Series Contest. Beyond the concert stage, Johnson’s music has been heard in documentaries and both short and feature-length films produced across the world.

 

Alongside his work as a composer, Johnson has spent much of his career in arts education, believing deeply that creativity flourishes when young artists are given room to experiment, collaborate, and imagine boldly. He currently serves as Director of Visual and Performing Arts at Albany Academy in Albany, NY, where he leads a comprehensive arts program serving students from PreK through grade 12. The program encompasses studio art, photography, dance, theatre, instrumental and vocal music, and film and media studies, encouraging students to discover their own artistic voice.

 

For Johnson, composition and education are ultimately part of the same creative impulse: building spaces where ideas become sound, images become stories, and young artists learn that imagination is a skill worth practicing.