Tim Johnson
Tim Johnson is Precentor
and Director of Music at Eton College.
Choral highlights of Tim’s time at Eton have included two CD recordings and choir tours of China, Japan, India, Germany and Latvia. The Eton boys choir is regularly heard on the professional concert platform, with notable engagements including Bach’s St John Passion with the Academy of Ancient Music, Mahler’s Symphony No.8 in the Royal Festival Hall with the Philharmonia under Lorin Maazel, and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin. Tim has directed the Eton boys choir on two episodes of BBC Songs of Praise and recorded a number of performances for David Starkey’s BBC series Music and Monarchy.
Recent projects have included world premiere performances of works by Sir James MacMillan and Judith Weir.
During his time at Eton Tim has also developed and enhanced the reputation of orchestral music, establishing regular international tours which have taken the orchestra to venues such as the Rudolfinum in Prague, the Kursaal in San Sebastian and the Radio Hall in Bucharest.
Beyond Eton, Tim’s work with young musicians has included preparing trebles for the Barbican’s annual performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the London Symphony Chorus/City of London Sinfonia, and a live Radio 3 broadcast of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev in St Paul’s Cathedral. He has directed choirs and orchestra in venues such as St John’s Smith Square, Westminster Abbey and the Barbican.
Highlights of Tim’s time as Musical Director of the Windsor & Eton Choral Society have included performances of Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and a Platinum Jubilee Concert at Windsor Castle in the presence of HRH Duke of Edinburgh. During his time as Musical Director of WECS Tim has also initiated several musical collaborations with Eton Music Scholars, most notably a recent performance of Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto with Ryan Wang, winner of BBC Young Musician 2024.
