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Dr. Kenneth Johnson currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida, where he is the Principal Trombonist of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia Gulf Coast, and Bass Trombonist of the Gainesville Orchestra. He has appeared as a soloist with the Ocala Symphony, the Fredericksburg Brass Institute Faculty Ensemble, the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra, and the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra. Kenneth has been a finalist in national and international solo competitions such as: the 2016 International Trombone Association Alto Trombone Competition and the 2014 American Trombone Workshop National Tenor Trombone Solo Competition Division II. He is a founding member of the chamber groups Tallabrassy and the Invicta Trio, the latter of which can be found online at InvictaTrio.com.
He recently completed his doctoral studies at Florida State University, where he was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Dr. John Drew, and completed the treatise: “Environmental Engagement in the Concert Hall: Programming Experiences, Teaching Activism.” He earned his Master’s degree in Trombone Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Peter Ellefson. In 2013, he graduated cum laude from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, where he studied with Dr. Keith Jackson and Dr. Brian Piltnik.
Recently, as a home studio recording musician, Kenneth has recorded for BIVA Broadcasts, as well as the podcasts: Bite Sized Broadway and [insert movie here}: The Musical! He also recorded the premier recordings of Eric Ziolek’s “Fragments” for solo trombone and Composers Alliance “Shelter Music” initiative. Prior to this, he recorded the works of American composers Henry Cowell and David Diamond for the Naxos Music Label with the Indiana University Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestras. Additionally, he can be hears on the Album “Earthling Sessions” by San Diego-based rock band: Jackslacks.
He has had the opportunity to perform with Manhattan Transfer, Mary Wilson, Rob Paulsen, Maurice LaMarche, Wu Man, Morgan James, Matthew Morrison, the Vice City Brass, the Columbus (IN) Philharmonic Brass Quintet, the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Albany (GA) Symphony Orchestra, the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, and in numerous shows at Busch Gardens, Williamsburg.
In addition to his private studio, he teaches at Playground Music Center Tallahassee and the Timberlane Arts and Dance Academy. In the summers, he serves on the faculty of the Fredericksburg Brass Institute, Tidewater Brass Institute, FSU Summer Music Camps, and Music for the Sake of Music Summer Festival in Green Bay, WI.