Louise Johnson : Mulpha Australia Chair of Principal Harp
Louise Johnson is one of Australia’s leading harpists. She began her harp studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music High School at the age of 12, and later, at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Salzedo Summer Harp School, in the United States, with Alice Chalifoux.
Louise has been Principal Harpist of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra since winning her appointment in 1985. Before joining the orchestra as a permanent member, she enjoyed a successful freelance career for 16 years, giving her first performance with the Sydney Symphony at the age of 14.
At 18 years of age she was appointed Principal Harp of the Queensland Symphony, a position she held for one year, before continuing her freelance career, playing different styles of music with many different artists, in all parts of the world. She has given concerts and radio and television broadcasts in the USA, the UK, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia.
Louise has performed with all the major Australian Symphony and Opera and Ballet Orchestras, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Australia Ensemble. She has backed such artists as Cher, Sammy Davis Jnr and the Bee Gees and has toured Australia with visiting ballet companies such as the Bolshoi Ballet and the Sadlers Wells Ballet, featuring dancers such as Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. She has also played for the Bolshoi Opera and with Luciano Berio, in a concert of his own works.
Whilst living in London from 1983 to 1985, Louise Johnson performed with the London Symphony Orchestra as Guest Principal Harp and Second Harp, under the baton of Claudio Abbado and Richard Hickox, and gave successful recitals in Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room.
Louise often appears as soloist with the Sydney Symphony. In 1990 she performed the Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto with James Galway. In 1996 she was invited to perform the Ginastera Harp Concerto in Seattle for the World Harp Congress. Her many CDs feature music that shows the diverse range of her talent, most recently, a solo CD of 19th Century Romantic Harp Music.
Louise teaches harp at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, a position she has held for 24 years. She is also in demand as a tutor for student orchestras, including the Australian Youth Orchestra and Sydney Youth Orchestra. She tutors harp regularly at the Australian National Music Camp and directed the camp's inaugural Harp Ensemble Concert at the National Gallery.