I am a collaborative pianist and vocal coach with expertise in lyric diction. In addition to serving as Music Director of the UM Opera Theatre, I teach courses in advanced diction and German language, and coach both singers and collaborative pianists.
Biography
Canadian collaborative pianist Amanda Johnston is Professor of Music at the University of Mississippi where she is Music Director for the Opera Theatre, teaches advanced diction and German language, and coaches singers and collaborative pianists. She is also Instructor of German at the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA). From 2013-23, she was Head of Collaborative Piano at Musiktheater Bavaria (Oberaudorf, Germany). A specialist in lyric diction, she is author of English and German Diction for Singers: A Comparative Approach, 3rd edition (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024), highly praised in the Journal of Singing for “enlivening the study of diction.”
An active performer, she has concertized in Hong Kong, Sweden, Germany, France, Austria, Scotland, Canada, and the United States and has been broadcast on CBC Radio 2, NPR, Classical 96.3 FM, and CKWR. She has coached with many masters in the field of collaborative piano, including Malcolm Martineau, Rudolf Jansen, Martin Isepp, Dalton Baldwin, and Helmut Deutsch. Her recordings include Pleas to Famous Fairies with Linda Lister, soprano (Albany Records, 2018); Métissage with Adam Estes, saxophone (MSR Classics, 2017); and Mahler: Rückert-Lieder with Julia Morgan, mezzo-soprano (MSR Classics, 2012).
An energetic pedagogue, she is in great demand as a guest clinician, giving masterclasses, workshops, and lectures across the United States. Her research on comparative diction has been presented both nationally and internationally at conferences held by the International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT), College Music Society (CMS), National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), National Opera Association (NOA), and Song Collaborators Consortia (SCC). She has also served as Editor-in-Chief of NOA’s Opera Journal; president of the MS District of NATS; and member of the Fulbright US National Screening Committee for voice. Amanda Johnston has held positions at the University of Toronto, Royal Conservatory of Music, York University, Musiktheater Bavaria, Druid City Opera Workshop, Taos Opera Institute, and Lied Austria. She was educated at Queen’s University (Canada), the Hochschule für Musik “Franz Liszt” (Weimar, Germany), and the Janáček Academy of Music (Brno, Czech Republic).
Courses Taught
- MUS 521 Advanced Singer's Diction I
- MUS 522 Advanced Singer's Diction II
- MUS 500 German for Musicians
- MUS 530 Special Projects in Music Education
- VOIC 343 Junior Coaching I
- VOIC 344 Junior Coaching II
- VOIC 443 Senior Coaching I
- VOIC 444 Senior Coaching II
- VOIC 523 Advanced Coaching I
- VOIC 524 Advanced Coaching II
- MUS 195 Opera Theatre Workshop I
- MUS 196 Opera Production Workshop I
- MUS 295 Opera Theatre Workshop II
- MUS 296 Opera Production Workshop II
- MUS 395 Opera Theatre Workshop III
- MUS 396 Opera Production Workshop III
- MUS 495 Opera Theatre Workshop IV
- MUS 496 Opera Production Workshop IV
- MUS 595 Opera Theatre Workshop V
- MUS 596 Opera Production Workshop V
- MUS 597 Opera Theatre Workshop VI
- MUS 598 Opera Production Workshop VI
Education
BMus Music, Queen's University at Kingston (1993)
MM Music, Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar (1997)