• Program
• About the Artists
  • Gregory Lewis
  • Stephen Perkyns
  • Carter Johnson

Program

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About the Artists

Gregory Lewis

Praised for his “brilliant technique and control” (Chronicle Journal) and “wonderful musical personality” (Winnipeg Free Press), Canadian violinist Gregory Lewis enjoys a diverse career as a soloist and chamber musician. Lewis has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, Colburn Academy Virtuosi, Consortium Aurora Borealis, and the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra.

Gregory Lewis is a First Prize winner of the American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition, Canadian National Music Festival, and Yale Chamber Music Competition, as well as a Second Prize winner of the WMC McLellan Competition, Virtuoso e Belcanto Violin Competition, and the Concours de musique du Canada.

His passion for chamber music has led to performances at the Four Seasons, Norfolk, Olympic, and Toronto Summer music festivals. Lewis has performed alongside numerous esteemed artists, including Julie Albers, Nicholas McGegan, Marcy Rosen, Barry Shiffman, and Steven Tenenbom. He holds degrees from the University of Manitoba, Yale University, and the Colburn School, studying with Olga Medvedeva, Oleg Pokhanovski, Chris Anstey, Ani Kavafian, and Martin Beaver.

Mr. Lewis is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Yale University with Ani Kavafian.

Stephen Perkyns

Cellist Stephen Perkyns has performed in chamber music series such as the Colburn Chamber Music Society, won chamber music competitions such as Colburn’s Recovered Voices Competition, and collaborated with artists such as Noah Bendix-Balgley, Desmond Hoebig, Kathleen Winkler, Scott St. John, Paul Coletti, and the Viano String Quartet. Mr. Perkyns has worked under the baton of Larry Rachliff in the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra where he rose to principal cellist. Stephen has given several solo recitals and been a finalist and prize winner in many regional, state and national competitions, including the 2019 Pasadena Showcase Competition, the 2017 HTMC Ruth Burr Competition, and the 2017 Mika Hasler National Competition.

Mr. Perkyns did his undergraduate work at the Rice University Shepherd School of Music in Houston under the guidance of Desmond Hoebig. After graduating in 2018, he moved to Los Angeles to study with Clive Greensmith at the Colburn Conservatory and received his Masters of Music degree in 2020. He is currently pursuing his Master of Musical Arts degree at the Yale School of Music, where he studies with Paul Watkins.

Carter Johnson

Praised for his interpretive sensitivity, imaginative programming, and ability to make classical music speak to all kinds of audiences, Canadian pianist Carter Johnson is quickly establishing a reputation as one of his generation’s most gifted and multi-faceted pianists. His most recent competition prizes include being the first prize laureate in the 2021 International Competition of Polish Music, the first prize winner of the 2020 Valsesia International Competition and first prize winner of the 2023 Weatherford College International Competition, and he was also recently awarded the Most Promising Pianist not Proceeding to the Final in the 2023 Sydney International Piano Competition. In 2018, Johnson won the top prize in two of Canada’s most important competitions, garnering both the grand prize in the Concours OSM and the first prize in the CMC Stepping Stone competition. Other competition experience includes the Santander International Competition, the Shenzhen International Concerto Competition, the Horowitz International Competition Kyiv-Geneva, the Dublin International Competition, and the Hilton Head International Competition.

Johnson has performed with orchestras including l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, l’Orchestre Métropolitain, the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Americas, and his playing has been broadcasted by CBC Radio and medici.tv. Venues in which he has performed concertos or solo recitals include the Maison Symphonique, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, the Music Shed at Norfolk, the Shenzhen Concert Hall, and the Warsaw National Philharmonic Hall.

Born in 1996 on Vancouver Island, Canada, Johnson began the study of piano at age 5 with Shelley Roberts, with whom he had the privilege of studying both performance and pedagogy for over 12 years. After continuing his studies with Michelle Mares, he completed a Bachelor of Music with Mark Anderson at the University of British Columbia. He then received a Master of Music from the Juilliard School under the direction of Joseph Kalichstein and Matti Raekallio, and continued to the Yale School of Music, where he completed a Master of Musical Arts with Wei-Yi Yang and is continuing there for his Doctor of Musical Arts degree.

Equally at home in the worlds of solo, concerto, chamber, and art song, Johnson has a particular interest in bringing light to lesser-explored parts of the repertory, most recently championing a collection of works by nearly-forgotten Polish composers. In addition to the music of J.S. Bach (where he feels most at home), he is a special advocate for the music of composers such as Schumann, Grieg, Fauré, Ives, Hindemith, Poulenc, Shostakovich, and Messiaen. His secondary instrument work has included studies in oboe, voice, and harpsichord.

Trained in elocution as a teenager, Johnson holds an ATCL with distinction in speech and drama from Trinity College London, and he regularly brings this expertise to his recitals in his discussions on the music that is being played — for many audiences, these continue to be a highlight of his performances. This skill was recognized in the 2023 Sydney International Piano Competition, where he was awarded the Best Program Presentation in the Semifinal for his program design and verbal introductions.

Johnson currently resides in Hamden, Connecticut with his wife Hannah and their young boys Preston and Ambrose, where he maintains a busy schedule as a concert artist, student, and teacher. In his spare time, he and Hannah enjoy both cooking together and watching good films, and spending time outside with their boys enjoying the charms of New England.