Colin Johnson
Appointed Spring 2025
Known for his warm resonant voice, Colin B. Johnson, bass-baritone, is a dynamic educator, performer and researcher. He currently serves as a lecturer in voice at York College of Pennsylvania as well as University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Johnson earned his Doctorate of Music in voice pedagogy at Shenandoah Conservatory. In addition, Dr. Johnson maintains a private voice lessons in a variety of genres including both classical and contemporary commercial music. His approachable but passionate style generates a fun collaborative environment.
As a performer, he has been heard in many opera houses and theaters across the country as well as in Germany and Italy. Recently, Dr. Johnson performed a regional premiere of Debra Lynn’s Your John Keats, based on Keats’ surviving love letters to Fanny Browne before he passed away. In 2005, Colin had the honor of performing with Stephanie Blythe in Opera Colorado's production of Handel's opera Guilio Caesare. Another performing highlight was singing at Carnegie Hall in 2008 as the Norman Carlberg Award Winner in the Liederkranz Foundation. His roles include Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Dr. Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Méphistophélès in Faust, Caspar in Der Freischütz, and Sam in Trouble in Tahiti. He has performed with such opera companies as Opera Lancaster, Opera Naples, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Colorado, Connecticut Opera and Sarasota Opera. His other concert works include Baritone Soloist in Brahms' Requiem, Elijah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bass Soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and Handel’s Messiah. Colin had the honor of performing the bass solo in Verdi’s Requiem in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Colin is also a devoted Lieder singer having performed Schubert’s Winterreise, Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Vier erneste Gesänge by Brahms.
Dr. Johnson also holds a Master of Music in voice pedagogy from Shenandoah Conservatory and Bachelor of Music in voice performance from the University of Iowa. His research interests include applying motor learning strategies to the singing voice studio as well as vocal tract acoustics. Dr. Johnson has presented research on motor learning feedback in the singing voice studio at the Voice Symposium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and at the Pan American Vocology Symposium (PAVA). He also is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), PAVA and has completed the Summer Vocology Institute with renown voice researcher and educator Dr. Ingo Titze and the Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop with the esteemed Ian Howell.