J.J. Johnson, Viola

Fast Facts

• Regular position with Pittsburgh Opera & Ballet Orchestra

• Full-time viola chairs at Radio City Music Hall, Broadway's Cinderella, as well as national tour of Les Miserables

• Teaches at Montclair State University part-time and new winner of chair at Binghamton Philharmonic

J.J. Johnson is from Phoenix, Arizona where he received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Arizona State University. In 2005 he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and worked towards his Master’s Degree at Carnegie Mellon University. While working on his degree J.J. won positions with the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet Orchestras and Assistant Principal Viola of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. In the Winter of 2010 he began performing at Radio City Music Hall in NYC with the world famous Radio City Rockettes and made his Broadway debut in 2013 in Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. 

He has performed in a number of Broadway musicals, including, On The Town, Cats, Fiddler on the Roof, An American in Paris, Wicked, My Fair Lady, and Sunset Boulevard. He has also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and was Principal Viola of the NBC Studio Orchestra for the NBC Live! performances of The Sound of Music with Carrie Underwood, and Peter Pan with Christopher Walken. There have been a number of recording projects he has participated in that include The Red Eye of Love, Tokio Confidetial, Telly Leung’s solo album Songs for You, and the independent short film The Ceiling Fan. Mr. Johnson has premiered several works for solo viola, and viola with piano including January Sonata by Daniel Troob and secret device by Roger Zahab.

Just prior to the pandemic, J.J. was a member of the North American Tour of Les Miserables. Most recently he became a member of the viola section of the New York Pops Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, started an Off-Broadway show titled “Welcome to the Big Dipper,” and is Principal Viola and Faculty of the Mostly Modern Festival.