Gareth Johnson, concert violinist Violinist from Lake Worth, FL

...Regarded as one of the most musical and technically superior artists of his generation; bringing to the stage the vitality, charisma and energy of a 21st century modern virtuoso! Gareth travels the world as a soloist, master teacher, and educator; and is a dedicated composer and arranger of Contemporary, Classical, New Age, and Hip Hop music. For 2 years Gareth served as Artist-in-Residence and Distinguished Lecturer at Albany State University and has now opened a private strings studio in Lake Worth, Florida called The Lailan Music School. In addition he is the founder and director of The Parlor Series, a concert series devoted to developing and showcasing artistic talent. As a soloist he has performed and held residencies with numerous orchestras in the United States including Seattle, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Atlanta, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Boston Pops, Baltimore, Annapolis, Detroit, Memphis; and has had several performances in Carnegie Hall. In the past 2 years Gareth has taught and performed in South Africa, the Netherlands and England. He adds these experiences to past tours in Asia and Central America. Gareth has performed with Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, and several other world renowned string players. "When I was a young boy, I heard someone playing the violin and I felt that I could play it too. The frequency of each note reverberated within me, down to my core. I knew at that moment that I could never experience true harmony without absolute dedication to the violin- so I practiced until I began to improve and feel comfortable with it in my hands. Soon my violin became like an extension of me, like an actual physical part of my body! I feel so fortunate, and am humbled because of the joy and opportunity that chance encounter provided me so many years ago. Had I not seen the man playing the violin (Itzhak Perlman by the way), I may have never known my true calling. The violin has been my outlet to communicate and connect with cultures throughout the world. My message is now somehow etched in history with each new composition that I either recite or create, and this is all I can ask for. Music never dies, it lives on forever"...Gareth The New York Times proclaimed that Gareth at the age of sixteen "...possesses prodigious musical gifts- like Joshua Bell or Maxim Vengerov...he dominates the stage." Having won numerous competitions and prizes throughout the United States and Europe, Gareth is the 2002 junior winner and the 2010 senior winner of the International Sphinx competition. Gareth holds a masters degree from the Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida.