Hi there, I'm Penny Johnson!
I'm a Canadian pianist with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, as well as Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester.
Passionate about performing and exploring the music of J.S. Bach, I maintain an active YouTube channel (@pennyplaysbach). Videos include performances, tutorials, practice tips, shorts and narrations of historic piano texts. Born out of a need to find new ways of being creative – a result of the forced isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic – it turned out that making videos proved to be one of the most exciting opportunities that I have ever stumbled upon. I love growing my channel and have many ideas for future content!
A semi-finalist at the 8th International J.S. Bach Piano Competition in Würzburg, Germany, I've been fortunate to be a recipient of grants from The Banff Centre and the Canada Council for the Arts. Influenced by Glenn Gould, I maintain a blog (Further North) devoted to the Canadian pianist.
Active as a teacher and adjudicator, I have created several independent lectures pertaining to pianists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lectures such as Piano Stories with Penny and The Great Pianists: Stories, Music & More, have been enthusiastically received by audiences and staff alike, at both public libraries and private events. Additionally, I am a former member of the College of Examiners for The Royal Conservatory and have also worked for Steinway & Sons, both in New York City at the historic Steinway Hall, as well as in Canada at Steinway Piano Gallery Toronto.
As a former Vice President and member of the Board of Directors for The Chamber Music Society of Mississauga, I curated a program of works for solo piano, to accompany Carl Th. Dreyer’s classic silent film, The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). Additionally, during the pandemic, I created a podcast (From Stage to Page) devoted to the forgotten stories and memoirs of female performing artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I have also been researching my dear teacher, the late American concert pianist, Constance Keene. I currently reside in the Niagara region of Ontario.