Ms Emma Johnson

Emma Johnson is one of the few clarinettists to have established a career as a solo performer. She has made 30 recordings to date. 

Emma is known for her eclectic programming which has ranged from Mozart with Sir Yehudi Menuhin to Klezmer at the Jazz Café. A passionate advocate of the clarinet as a solo instrument, she has commissioned new works from composers such as Sir John Dankworth, Sir Michael Berkeley and Jonathan Dove. 

Emma Johnson’s compositions and arrangements have been published by Chesters and Faber Music. Her Songs of Celebration were recently performed in Dublin, London and Tokyo and her clarinet concerto, Tree of Life, is a response to the climate emergency.

Emma’s talks broadcast by the BBC have ranged from Woodwind Wizardry to The Poet John Milton and she has given lectures about music for the Arts Society. She also visits UK schools to lead music workshops.

Johnson studied Music and English at Pembroke College and was the first woman to be made an Honorary Fellow of the college. In 2020 she received the Cobbett Medal from the Musicians’ Company Guild in the City of London for distinguished services to chamber music. She was honoured by the Queen with an M.B.E. in 1996.

In her spare time, Emma likes running, birdwatching and reading Dante – but not necessarily at the same time.