Johnston returns to the Academy ‘full circle’ following his six-year teaching stint at the Eastman School of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London has announced the appointment of Guy Johnston as professor of cello from September 2025.
Johnston started out as a professor at the Academy in 2011, later becoming visiting professor. The appointment follows Johnston’s recent relocation back to the UK following his tenure at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, from 2018 to 2024.
’It gives me great pleasure to be returning here full circle in 2025,’ said Johnston. ’I’m greatly looking forward to picking up from where I left off with the next generation of young, aspiring cellists at the Academy!’
Johnston’s appointment follows several new appointments of leading artists and pedagogues for the Academy’s Strings Department, including violinists Hilary Hahn as visiting professor and Sini Simonen, who joined the Academy this term as professor of violin.
’I am really looking forward to welcoming Guy Johnston back to the Academy next September,’ said RAM head of strings, Graham Mitchell. ’His rich experience as a leading cellist will no doubt be hugely valuable to our students… Guy will provide transformative musical experiences for Academy musicians in this role.’
Dedicated to fostering the next generation of artists, he is president of the European Strings Teaching Association and an ambassador of Future Talent.
Johnston embarked on a prolifc career since winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 2000, which includes performances with London Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo and St Petersburg Symphony.
As a chamber musician, he is a member of the Bechstein Trio alongside Priya Mitchell and Emmanuel Despax, which was formed ahead of the opening of London’s new Bechstein Hall in November 2024. He is the founding artistic director of the Hatfield House Music Festival, and performs regularly at prestigious venues and festivals across Europe.
A recording artist often championing contemporary British composers, Johnston’s recent releases include Dobrinka Tabakova’s Cello Concerto with The Hallé and Rebecca Dale’s Night Seasons with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
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