Originally from Fredericksburg, VA, Kenneth Johnson first began playing trombone in elementary school under the guidance of his parents. In September 2018, Kenneth was appointed Principal Trombone of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra and Bass Trombone of the Gainesville Orchestra. In September 2017, he was appointed Principal Trombone of Sinfonia Gulf Coast. Kenneth is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Music at Florida State University where he is a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Dr. John Drew. At FSU, his responsibilities include co-directing the FSU Trombone Choir, coaching chamber ensembles, and teaching a studio of undergraduate music majors. He completed a Master’s degree in Trombone Performance at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, studying with Peter Ellefson. He graduated cum laude from West Virginia University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, studying with Dr. Keith Jackson and Dr. Brian Plitnik.
Kenneth has been a finalist in National and International competitions such as: the 2016 International Trombone Association Alto Trombone Competition and the 2014 American Trombone Workshop National Tenor Trombone Solo Competition Division II. In 2013, he won WVU’s Annual Young Artist Concerto Competition and received an Honorable Mention in the Fort Worth Trombone Summit’s 2013 Bach Unaccompanied Trombone Competition. He has recorded the works of American composers Henry Cowell and David Diamond for the Naxos Music Label with the Indiana University Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestras. He can also be heard on the Album Earthling Sessions by San Diego based rock band Jackslacks. He has performed with Manhattan Transfer, Mary Wilson, Rob Paulsen, Maurice LaMarche, Wu Man, Morgan James, the Vice City Brass, the Columbus (IN) Philharmonic Brass Quintet, the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, and numerous shows at Busch Gardens, Williamsburg.
In the summers, Kenneth is on the trombone faculty of the Fredericksburg Brass Institute and Tidewater Brass Institute, both located in Virginia. In addition, he is looking forward to his first summer serving on the brass faculty of Music for the Sake of Music in Green Bay, WI.
