Lura Johnson, piano

Steinway Artist Lura Johnson is celebrated for her insightful, emotionally impactful performances. The Washington Post describes hearing her play as “one of life’s great pleasures.” The Baltimore Sun praises her “surging expressive force... impressive bravura...” and “exceptional vitality, color, and impact.” Performing more than one hundred concerts annually as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral pianist, Lura captures, distills, and powerfully communicates the spirit of the music she performs. She describes her mission this way: “My mission is to vividly bring to life the essence and true character of the music, the way an actor embodies a role with full commitment.” Through her interpretations of passionate and complex masterpieces, Lura brings healing to a confused world, inviting her listeners into an extraordinary world of art and beauty that represents something bigger than all of us.

Lura is Principal Pianist of the Delaware Symphony and Resident Keyboardist of the Baltimore Symphony, positions which synthesize her finely honed ensemble skills, soloistic virtuosity, and versatility. She is a founding member of Duo Baltinati with cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn, which won Second Prize at the International Johannes Brahms Competition in 2015. One of her chamber music albums, Inner Voice with violist Peter Minkler, received widespread attention when it was prominently featured in the official trailer for the 2013 Warner Brothers film, Gravity.

Her discography includes a solo album, Turning, three chamber music albums, and half a dozen orchestral recordings. In early 2025, she will release The Art of Prelude and Fugue, a mammoth and visionary solo project and a first-of-its-kind curation of the entire Well-Tempered Clavier of J.S. Bach interspersed with the complete Preludes and Fugues of Dmitri Shostakovich.

Read more about Lura at www.lurajohnson.com