January 24, 2012

Mississippi College music professor Kristen Johnson didn’t let a slight bit of nervousness show when she made her singing debut at New York City’s famed Lincoln Center.

“Singing at Lincoln Center was amazing,” Johnson said of her mid-January performance on the Avery Fisher Hall stage. “But I knew if I let my nerves get to me, it could possibly hinder my preparation, so I was actually calm and able to get my nerves out prior to the performance.”

Making her feel very much at ease at the January 15 program, the talented MC voice instructor was joined on stage by plenty of familiar faces. The 30-year-old Meridian native teamed with MC graduate Jay Carr, a student at the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Conservatory of Music, and the Mississippi College Singers under the baton of Music Department Chairman James Meaders.

A former member of the MC Singers and the Naturals during her undergraduate days on the Clinton campus, Johnson belted out stunning performances as the soprano soloist for Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” and John Rutter’s “Mass of the Children.”

After a number of unsuccessful music auditions as a graduate student chasing a singing career in New York a few years ago, Johnson was thrilled to be spotlighted at a famous venue in the heart of the Big Apple. “It meant the world to me to stand up there with my colleagues and my students. It was such a blessing!”

Back home in Clinton, Johnson is winning kudos at her alma mater. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Mississippi College in 2003, with a bachelor’s degree in voice, Johnson in the Spring of 2011 received MC’s Young Faculty member of the Year award. The prestigious honor came from fellow faculty members, including some of her former teachers.

In her fourth year as an MC educator, Johnson was hired to join the Music Department faculty in 2008, just weeks after earning her doctorate at Florida State University. The Mississippian teaches applied voice lessons, opera, musical theatre workshop, and directs musical and operatic stage productions.

The Clinton resident stays quite active in her classroom, but also loves staying on the go with stage performances.

Upcoming performances include her collaboration with the Mississippi College Symphonic Winds under the direction of music professor Craig Young. The February 21 concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at Swor Auditorium. In March, Johnson will compete in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards in Oxford.

Chairing the Mississippi Opera Cooperative Education Committee that plans to establish opera competition in the Jackson area is quite an appealing off-campus assignment for the Mississippi College music professor. But so is working side by side on a daily basis with faculty colleagues and students.

“Being a part of the lives of the students really makes the job worthwhile. It is very fulfilling to even have just a little impact in a student’s life as they come here trying to figure out their purpose and calling,” Johnson said.

The daughter of Ed and Sally Johnson of Meridian gives thanks to God “who I have the honor of serving each day as He allows me to teach and mentor such a wonderful group of students. As I seek Him, He truly amazes me with all of the riches He graciously gives and blesses me with,” says the member of Pinelake Church in Clinton and 1999 graduate of the Lamar School in Meridian.

During her January trip to New York City, the music professor soaked up some of the big city’s vast cultural attractions. Johnson enjoyed seeing the “Phantom of the Opera” and the phenomenal show “Memphis” that’s a must-see production for rock-n-roll fans. Her fans around the Magnolia State predict the Mississippi College graduate will return to the stage for more solo performances amid the bright lights of New York City.