Stephen Johnson

Dean of the School of Church Music, Associate Professor of Music Theory and Composition

Stephen Johnson is an Associate Professor of Theory and Composition as well as the dean of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary School of Church Music where he teaches courses in orchestration, composition and theory. His repertory includes works written for various solo, small ensemble, large ensemble, and orchestral performing forces that have been performed in various recitals, concert halls, and music festivals across the United States.

Prior to coming to SWBTS, Dr. Johnson was assistant professor of composition at The Master’s College, in Santa Clarita, California.  He also taught at the University of California, Riverside and the University of Southern California.

After having completed his Bachelor of Music degree from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago (1998), where he studied with Edwin T. Childs, Dr. Johnson went on to complete a Master of Music degree in composition from DePaul University (2000), studying with George Flynn and Kurt Westerberg.  He then completed his Doctorate of Musical Arts in composition from the University of Southern California having studied with Donald Crockett, James Hopkins and Frederick Lesemann.

Performances

Some of Dr. Johnson’s performances and honors include winning the 1998 Phi Beta Mu Composition Competition for Illinois resident composers for his Fanfare on the Austrian Hymn; the selection of his woodwind quintet Windy City, for the 1999 Crane Festival of New Music with George Crumb; his orchestral work Before Dawn’s Twilight being selected for performance in the highly competitive New Music for Orchestra Concert by the USC Symphony in 2003; his Four Preludes of the River winning the 2004 Klienman Competition of DePaul University; and the premiere in 2005 of his commissioned piece Libera me (revised) at the Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection in Hollywood.  He has also been the recipient of various scholarships, awards, and commissions, and is presently a member of the American Composers Forum, Society of Composers, Inc., College Music Society, Pi Kappa Lambda, and BMI.