Nicholas Johnson with cello, with long brown hair, dressed in a black suit against a red background.
Nicholas Johnson with cello, with long brown hair, dressed in a black suit against a red background.

Cellist Nicholas Johnson has been working with dynamic chamber ensembles and orchestras in the Boston area since 2021.

He performs regularly with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera, appearing on eight albums on the BMOP/sound label. These include the GRAMMY-nominated opera albums John Corigliano: The Lord of Cries and Anthony Davis: X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, as well as the orchestral album Paul Dooley: Masks and Machines, on which Johnson serves as principal cellist.

Nicholas has also performed with Ensemble Dal Niente, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Winsor Music, Palaver Strings, Gramercy Trio, Boston Public Quartet, Analog By Choice, Semiosis Quartet, Sound Icon, American Repertory Theatre, Refugee Orchestra Project, and Florida’s Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, where they served as visiting principal during the 2022-2023 season.

Cellist Nicholas Johnson with a beard and long hair tied back, wearing a gray turtleneck and green pants with a brown belt, is holding a cello close to his face, with the scroll resting against his forehead, against a dark brown background.
Cellist Nicholas Johnson with a beard and long hair tied back, wearing a gray turtleneck and green pants with a brown belt, is holding a cello close to his face, with the scroll resting against his forehead, against a dark brown background.

Since summer of 2024 he has coordinated and performed in the string quartet-in-residence at the Grand Canyon Music Festival, presenting programs which highlight the versatility of the ensemble. They spend a week on Rez in Navajo nation and Hopi nation workshopping new pieces for string quartet by student composers from the Native American Composer Apprentice Project, then premiere and record the works at the Shrine of the Ages at the Grand Canyon.

Johnson holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of South Florida, along with a Master of Music and Graduate Performance Diploma from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, studying with Scott Kluksdahl and Andrew Mark.

They reside in Boston, MA and perform on a 2016 cello by Boston-area luthier Curtis Bryant.