Graeme Steele Johnson

Forgotten Sounds on @nytimes ’ best of 2024 list🤯 A tremendous honor, and an honor to share it with dear friends/musical heroes David Shifrin, @bridgetkibbey , @stellafaychen , @siwooviolin , @melodiousmatt1 , @samdecap & @s3suggs . Thank you @corinnadfw for the thoughtful listening and dream recording partners @delosproductions & @outheremusic for helping bring this album into the world!

Rather surreal to wake up to this full-page profile of my Loeffler Octet reconstruction in @washingtonpost 🤯 “[Loeffler’s Octet] survives as a vibrant example of the composer’s polyglot compositional vernacular and wide stylistic palette — the contrapuntal quartet at its core, the “smoke and mirrors” of its twin clarinets, it’s effortless channeling of symphonic sound and breadth into the crisp articulation of a smallish ensemble. “At the Library of Congress, the restored octet appears on a program with Johnson’s arrangement of Debussy’s prelude, as well as Franz Schubert’s beloved ‘Octet in F Major (D. 803)’ — another work that was almost lost to obscurity, composed in 1824 but published nearly a half-century after the composer’s death. “‘It kind of goes with this lost-and-found theme,’ Johnson says. ‘With hope that Loeffler’s octet and all of the other wonderful, deserving music that has somehow slipped through the cracks will follow Schubert into the musical pantheon.’” Very grateful to @_brodeurgram_ for shining a spotlight on this project. Read his full article at the link in my bio!

I can no longer in good conscience keep using headshots from my twenties.🥴 I will however continue wearing my Sgt. Pepper’s shirt from high school until anyone releases a better album! One million thanks to the wizard @guanchenliustudio for the update🙏

What a night at @chambermusicnw ✨ A record-breaking benefit evening in support of our community engagement and education efforts. Always an honor to welcome our Artistic Director Emeritus David Shifrin back to Portland - the evening was made even more meaningful by the return of several illustrious former Protégés, including @graemesteelejohnson - who curated such a beautiful program featuring Debussy, Schumann, and his rediscovery of Loeffler’s Forgotten Octet 🎶 Thank you to our incredible community of artists, patrons, and friends for making it all possible 🙏❤️ 📸 @tomemersonphotography #davidshifrin #protégés #chambermusic #loeffler #clarinet

An evening 125 years in the making! 🤩 It was an absolute pleasure to share the Portland premiere of Charles Martin Loeffler’s lost octet, alongside masterpieces by Claude Debussy and Robert Schumann, with a captivated audience last weekend! As incredible as the music was, the best part may have been seeing how much fun these musicians had together—and a particular joy to see clarinetists Graeme Steele Johnson and CMNW Artistic Director Emeritus (and Graeme’s former teacher) David Shifrin playing side-by-side. (Plus, violinist Anna Lee singing for the encore was not on anyone’s bingo card!) Thanks to all who joined us for this extraordinary, historical event, and thanks to the NINE musicians that made it all possible: @sooyunkimflute , @graemesteelejohnson , david.shifrin.7, @lemonylevin , @isabelleaiviolin , @annaleeviolin , @katiee.liu , @nathanchancello & braizahn 📷: Tom Emerson

Want another sneak peek of Loeffler's forgotten Octet? 🔊 In this trailer, you can hear a preview of Charles Martin Loeffler’s gorgeous music while getting insight from Graeme Steele Johnson (@graemesteelejohnson ), who (re)discovered, revised, and reconstructed the lost score. “It's been interesting through this process to hear people compare this octet to other composers saying oh this part here is so Tchaikovsky, the Hungarian section sounds like Brahms, and making other comparisons to composers from Debussy and Dvořák to Strauss, Mahler, even early Schoenberg, and I joke that well, maybe those composers sound like Loeffler.” Written in 1897 and left unpublished, unrecorded, and unheard for over 125 years…how could you miss an opportunity to experience this music?? Link in bio for full details and to reserve your spot(s) at the related events. 👇 🎶 Open Rehearsal: Loeffler’s Lost Octet PSU, College of the Arts, Lincoln Recital Hall THIS FRIDAY, 3/27 • 11:00 AM 🌸 Spring Forward Benefit Dinner Billiard Room at Sentinel Hotel THIS SATURDAY, 3/28 • 4:30 PM 🎶 Loeffler’s Lost Octet, Debussy & Schumann First Baptist Church THIS SATURDAY, 3/28 • 7:30 PM 🎥: Four/Ten Media (@fourtenmedia ) 🎧: Full recording released on the album "Forgotten Sounds" (@delosproductions / @outheremusic )

Announcing Week 1 of our 2026 Muzzy Ridge Concerts series! Following the July 4th holiday weekend, clarinetist Graeme Steele Johnson and pianist Min Kwon bring a quasi-American program including works by Gershwin/Mangani, Viet Cuong, and the America/Beautiful project. They also include music by Debussy and Brahms for this beautiful afternoon of clarinet and piano! Hear the program on Monday, July 6th and Tuesday, July 7th, both days at 5pm. Tickets are on sale now for Muzzy Ridge Concerts 2026 Season. This year, we are also offering a season pass; choose three or more concert dates and receive a discounted $25 ticket price. Learn more through the link in my bio

Music video for Philip Glass: Etude No. 17 is now live! Link to the full performance is in my bio. As with all Glass, the repetitive structures are immediately grasped, but years of work could go into making the machine breathe. Transcribing the piece from piano to winds does force the issue a bit, of course. In arranging, I did my best to imagine the length of a phrase versus what our bodies could actually play and split up the texture accordingly. This led to music that plays with color, voicing (unisons, octaves, thirds), and meter (should we make the 3/4 feel like 6/8?). Things that are important in the first place but that can feel too fundamental when they aren’t at the fore. My @windsync colleagues could fool anyone into thinking it’s easy, though ❤. An amazing etude indeed!

Behind the scenes of the Nadia recording sessions. What a beautiful release weekend—thank you for lending us your ears! @delosproductions @outheremusic 📸 @grittanicreative

Rediscovered, reconstructed, and heard for the first time in living memory… …you can be one of the first to experience Loeffler’s lost octet in over 125 years! Charles Martin Loeffler’s forgotten Romantic masterpiece remained unperformed since 1897, having disappeared into the archives of the Library of Congress until being discovered by Graeme Steele Johnson in 2020. This gorgeous music will be brought back to life by Graeme and seven other extraordinary musicians on Saturday, March 28 at 7:30 PM at Portland’s First Baptist Church. Don’t miss the chance to become a part of music history! Get your tickets now—link in bio. #chambermusic #classicalmusic #harp #strings #clarinet

Go on a Journey of (Re)discovery with Graeme Steele Johnson—from anywhere! Tune in for a live, online conversation with the person who rediscovered, revised, and reconstructed Charles Martin Loeffler’s lost octet THIS WEDNESDAY, March 18! While this Romantic masterpiece was written and premiered in 1897, it disappeared into the Library of Congress archives until 2020. 127 years since its creation, Graeme Steele Johnson (@graemesteelejohnson ) has resuscitated the piece for its first performances in living memory. Hear Graeme speak about his journey bringing this forgotten work back to life, and stay for a Q&A at the end. Link in bio to RSVP and check out our related events! 👇 🎶 Open Rehearsal: Loeffler’s Lost Octet PSU, College of the Arts, Lincoln Recital Hall Friday, 3/27 • 11:00 AM 🌸 Spring Forward Benefit Dinner Billiard Room at Sentinel Hotel Saturday, 3/28 • 4:30 PM 🎶 Loeffler’s Lost Octet, Debussy & Schumann First Baptist Church Saturday, 3/28 • 7:30 PM 📷: Dylan Hancook

HAPPY RELEASE DAY! We are so, so happy to say that you can now hear Nadia on all platforms. This album was a true labor of love. What began as a simple look at 20th century American music grew to deep study of Nadia Boulanger and how we musicians find our voice in the echoes of the past. We hope that this set of pieces humanizes and honors Mlle Boulanger and leaves you as amazed as we are at the breadth of one teacher’s legacy. It took a village, so hats off to the amazing team below. @delosproductions /@outheremusic Recording Producer, Engineer & Mastering: Alan Bise Dolby Atmos Mastering: @nyreichman Photography and video: @grittanicreative , @evanmchapman , @fourtenmedia Artistic Director (Delos): Charles Adriaenssen Executive Producer (Delos): Timothée van der Stegen WindSync Recording Fund supporters & Board of Directors #linkinbio to find your mode of listening