Fergus Johnston


Fergus Johnston is an Irish composer and member of Aosdána.

Life and career

Johnston was born in Dublin, the son of the physicist and political activist Roy H. W. Johnston, and studied for both a degree in music and a master's degree in Music and Media Technology at Trinity College Dublin. He also has a PhD in composition from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Initially he had also studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin. In 1985 he was invited by the European Community Youth Orchestra to write an orchestral piece under the guidance of György Ligeti. 1989-91 he was Chairman of the Association of Irish Composers. He completed his education with the English composer Robert Hanson.
Johnston's output includes works for both orchestra and smaller ensembles, some works of which include electronics, and two operas. His music has been performed at many venues and festivals including the 1985 Asolo Musica Festival in Italy, the 1996 International Society for Contemporary Music Festival, the 2001 Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music in Belfast, and Raidió Teilifís Éireann's 2005 Living Music Festival. His use of system is unusual among Irish composers, his compositional process typically including a significant element of pre-planning.

Selected works

Stage
Orchestral works
Chamber music
  • Timon of Athens, incidental music, 2fl, 2cl+bcl, bn, vn, gui, perc, 3 speakers
  • Reflections, ob, 2cl, bn, hp, vib, str qt
  • Brass Quintet
  • Episodes 1, fl, trb, egui, perc
  • Episodes 2, fl, ob, cl
  • Signals!, vn, dancers
  • Incantations, cl+bcl, perc
  • Cusp, vn, pf
  • Kaleidophone, 2vn, va, vc, hp, perc
  • Gabor Haenjo’s Variations on a Theme by Paganini, cl, vc, pf
  • Carn, 2pf
  • Líofa, fl, cor ang, bcl, hn, str qt
  • Opus Lepidipterae, fl, pf/arec, gui/fl, hpd
  • Piano Trio
  • Toccata, Fugue, and A Camel's Swan-Song, vc, pf
  • String Quartet, vn, va, vc, db
Solo instrumental
  • Three Pieces for Double Bass
  • Pavan and Galliard, guitar
  • Two Pieces for Solo Flute
  • Prelude & Passacaglia, violin
  • Psyche, alto recorder
  • creepy crawlies, piano
  • Prelude, piano
  • Three Piano Pieces
  • Éagaoineadh, piano
  • The Oul’ Winda Rag, piano
  • Rashad's Words, percussion
  • Lord Leonard Gray, His March, piano
  • Three Bulgarian Dances, organ
  • Miniatures for Scott, piano
Vocal
  • Two T’ang Poems , soprano and chamber orchestra
  • The Wisdom of the World, mezzo and Irish harp
  • After a Childhood Away from Ireland , soprano and piano
  • Five Oriental Texts, soprano and chamber orchestra
Choral
  • Three Songs on Words by e.e.cummings, S, fl, cl, bn
  • now I lay , satb
  • Praise Music , satb
  • Sine musica nulla vita, ssatb
  • The Little Snowgirl, A, B, children's vv, female vv, orch
  • Psalm 84, satb & organ
Electro-acoustic'