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Evan Johnson is a Canadian composer of contemporary classical music. He was born on October 28, 1980, in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Johnson grew up in a musical family, with his mother being a pianist and his father a composer. He began playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the violin and viola. Johnson attended the University of Toronto, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in composition. He then went on to pursue a Master of Music degree in composition at the University of California, San Diego. During his time in California, Johnson studied with composers Roger Reynolds and Chaya Czernowin. Johnson's early works were heavily influenced by the music of his father, James Tenney, who was a prominent composer in the American experimental music scene. However, Johnson soon developed his own unique style, which is characterized by intricate textures, complex rhythms, and a focus on the physicality of sound. One of Johnson's most notable works is "L'art de toucher le clavecin," which was commissioned by the Ensemble Recherche and premiered in 2010. The piece is a tribute to the French harpsichordist François Couperin and features a complex web of interlocking rhythms and textures. Another significant work by Johnson is "Die Fälschung der Welt," which was commissioned by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and premiered in 2015. The piece is inspired by the philosophy of Jean Baudrillard and explores the idea of the simulacrum, or the copy without an original. The music is characterized by a sense of fragmentation and disorientation, with sudden shifts in texture and tempo. In addition to his work as a composer, Johnson is also a respected musicologist and has written extensively on the music of his father, James Tenney. He has also taught at various universities, including Harvard University and the University of Birmingham. Johnson's music has been performed by numerous ensembles and orchestras around the world, including the Arditti Quartet, the Ensemble Modern, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation Composers' Prize in 2019. Overall, Evan Johnson is a highly respected composer in the contemporary classical music scene. His music is characterized by its complexity and physicality, and he has made significant contributions to the field through both his compositions and his scholarship.

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