UMKC Faculty Recital: Celeste Johnson, Oboe

The UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance proudly presents faculty recitals to the Kansas City community each semester, showcasing the breadth of talent our faculty brings to the arts.

Celeste Johnson is currently serving as Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance.  She has recently presented performances and clinics at International Double Reed Society conferences as well as the Oklahoma and Texas Music Educators conferences.  Ms. Johnson has performed as a substitute with the Kansas City Symphony and was formerly a member of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, where she performed as a featured concerto soloist.

Ms. Johnson has held numerous faculty positions at universities and summer programs.  Formerly a faculty member at Oklahoma State University (OSU), Ms. Johnson has also taught at the University of Kansas and Roberts Wesleyan College.  She has served as a faculty member at the Bay View Music Festival and the Filármonica Joven de Colombia in South America.  A founding faculty member of the UMKC Double Reed Institute, she has also taught for camps at Oklahoma State University and Bocal Majority/Operation Oboe in Texas.  Ms. Johnson has also taught master classes at high schools and universities across the country.

As a performer, Celeste is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player.  Recently, she has performed with Summerfest, a chamber music festival based in Kansas City.  She was awarded honorable mentions as one of five finalists in the Gillet/Fox International Oboe Competition in 2001 and 2003.  She was a finalist in the Barnett Family Foundation Competition and a semi-finalist in the Concert Artists Guild International Competition. Celeste has also been featured as a concerto soloist with the UMKC Conservatory Wind Symphony, OSU Wind Ensemble and OSU Symphony Orchestra.

As an orchestral player, Ms. Johnson has performed with the New York String Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, Russian String Orchestra, Sarasota Opera Orchestra, Tulsa Opera Orchestra, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Champaign-Urbana Symphony, Binghamton Philharmonic and Quad Cities Symphony.