American Mezzo-soprano Crystal Jarrell Johnson is in demand as a concert artist in and around the South Texas region. A two time regional finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a finalist in the National Opera Association’s Vocal Competition, she spent her early career appearing with opera companies and symphony orchestras throughout the United States. In recent years she has been a frequent soloist in oratorios, recitals, symphonic works, chamber music, choral masterworks, church music, and has a special interest in historically informed performance practice. She has performed with a number of musical organizations around South Texas, including the San Antonio Mastersingers, San Antonio Symphony, OPERA San Antonio, Mid-Texas Symphony, San Antonio Choral Society, Alamo Baroque Festival, Sonido Barroco San Antonio, Musica Sacra San Antonio, Texas Baroque Ensemble, and the San Antonio Chamber Choir. In the last two seasons, Ms. Jarrell Johnson has been a familiar face with Sonido Barroco San Antonio for programs such as “Dawn of the Baroque,” “Le Chaos,” “Terra Antiqua, Terra Nova,” “Vivaldi at the Pieta,” Handel’s complete Messiah, and J.S. Bach’s Erfreut euch, ich Herzen, BWV 66. Other recent performances have included Corigliano’s Fern Hill, Respighi's Lauda per la Natività del Signore, Copland’s In the Beginning, Mozart’s Requiem, J.S. Bach’s Magnificat, Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, Handel’s Dixit Dominus, C.P.E. Bach’s Magnificat, Vivaldi's Gloria, El Mesias - Handel’s Messiah in a new Spanish translation, and Manuel de Zumaya’s cantada Si ya a aquella nave in a historically informed performance of Mexican cathedral music in San Antonio’s Mission Concepción. Ms. Jarrell Johnson is a regularly featured artist on Texas Public Radio, maintains an active performance calendar with her vocal ensemble DEUX, and currently serves on the voice faculty of the School of Music at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
As an educator, Crystal Jarrell Johnson is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and maintains a dynamic and active voice studio. Her students have excelled in competitions such as NATS National Student Auditions, Classical Singer Vocal Competition, George Shirley Vocal Competition, and the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition. Her pre-college students have been 1st chair Texas All State Choir members, soloists with Children's Chorus of San Antonio, YouthCUE Choirs, OPERA San Antonio youth chorus members, and have sung in concerts with the San Antonio Symphony and Shreveport Symphony. Her university students have recently been invited for arts & nonprofit summer internships, are active members of church choirs across San Antonio and Boerne, are frequently featured in leading roles in UTSA Lyric Theatre productions, are frequent soloists with UTSA ensembles, and are regularly sought after to perform for various university and community events. Former students have gone on to summer programs such as Houston Grand Opera Young Artist Vocal Academy, Music Academy of the West, Central City Opera, Cactus Pear Chamber Music Festival Young Artist Program, and have gone on to continue music studies at institutions such as Manhattan School of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, University of North Texas, Loyola University, Stanford University, and The University of Texas at Austin.
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