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The German-American conductor, pianist, and composer, Johannes Löhner, taught himself to play the piano as a child. He benefited from a unique musical upbringing, and came in contact with artists like Lorin Maazel and Menahem Pressler at an early age. In high school, he began conducting and won scholarships from the American Guild of Organists and National Symphony Orchestra. He completed his Bachelor’s in Los Angeles, where he graduated magna cum laude with a dual-degree in Music Performance from Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, receiving awards from the school for Instrumental Conducting and Piano Performance (2009-2013). He enjoyed an individualized education, working with six different teachers on a weekly basis and conducting the Chapman Chamber Orchestra, Opera, and New Music Ensemble. He studied under Daniel Alfred Wachs, student of Otto- Werner Mueller, and took weekly lessons in solo piano from Grace Fong, protegé of Sergei Babayan. Dr. Louise Thomas supervised his dual-degree in Keyboard Collaborative Arts, and David Alt, student of the late French baritone Gérard Souzay, oversaw Löhner;s training as a lyric tenor. From 2014 to 2016, he completed a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting with Guido Johannes Rumstadt at the Hochschule für Musik in Nuremberg, Germany. Throughout his early career, he appeared in master-classes around the world, working with pedagogues like Mark Gibson, Ulrich Windfuhr, Frank Strobel, Simone Young, and Riccardo Muti.
After graduating from the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg in 2016 with distinction, Johannes Löhner joined the faculty as Adjunct Professor of Conducting. In cooperations with the Staatstheater Nürnberg, he has since prepared operas by Puccini, L.v. Beethoven, W.A. Mozart, Sullivan, Kampe, and Glanert. He enjoys teaching as a complement to his concert activities, and recently led a master-class on improvisation with the Academy of the Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Since 2017, Johannes Löhner has been mentored by Sir Roger Norrington. Supported through a unique Fellowship, he has accompanied him on projects with leading orchestras worldwide, explored a broad range of repertoire, and researched historical performance practice in depth.
Johannes Löhner works internationally as an Assistant and Guest Conductor. At 30 years of age, the he has gathered experience with institutions such as the Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR), Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Hamburger Symphoniker, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Nürnberger Symphoniker, and many others.
Johannes Löhner was named Music Director of the Kammerorchester Regensburg in December 2018, following two years as Resident Guest Conductor (May 2017-December 2018). Under his tenure, the KOR has taken on several exciting outreach initiatives, recording projects, and international tours. Löhner’s exacting standards, experience with historical performance practice, and charisma have drawn positive reviews as well as financial growth – a recent open-air concert brought more than 14,000 listeners. As Artistic Director & CEO of the International Salon Project (since April 2017), Johannes Löhner interacts with leading performers, institutions, and sponsors to create unique live events. The initiative grew out of the successful Nuremberg Salon, which Löhner founded in 2016, and is rapidly expanding. Post-COVID premieres are planned in Germany, France, Taiwan, Argentina, and the USA.
Löhner speaks five languages, performs internationally, travels upwards of 20 weeks a year, and is also active as a Pianist and Composer. |
