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{{Use British English|date=October 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{short description|English soprano}}
[[File:Christina Johnston by Miguel Alonso.jpg|thumb|upright|Christina Johnston]]
[[File:Christina Johnston by Miguel Alonso.jpg|thumb|upright|Christina Johnston]]


'''Christina Johnston''' is a British [[coloratura soprano]]. Born in [[Framlingham]], [[Suffolk]], and educated at [[Framlingham College]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/what-s-on/framlingham-prague-former-suffolk-schoolgirl-christina-johnston-described-as-an-angel-as-she-sings-for-european-leaders-1-3580796|title=Framlingham/Prague: Former Suffolk schoolgirl Christina Johnston described as an "angel" as she sings for European leaders|date=1 May 2014|last=Hirst|first=Andrew|work=[[East Anglian Daily Times]]|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> she has sung leading roles in various productions, notably, at the [[Prague State Opera]], including the Queen of the Night in Mozart's ''[[The Magic Flute]]''. She has sung many times for various heads of state, including [[Miloš Zeman]], President of the [[Czech Republic]], and [[Xi Jinping]], [[President of the People's Republic of China]].
'''Christina Johnston''' is an English [[coloratura soprano]]. Born in [[Framlingham]], [[Suffolk]], and educated at [[Framlingham College]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/what-s-on/framlingham-prague-former-suffolk-schoolgirl-christina-johnston-described-as-an-angel-as-she-sings-for-european-leaders-1-3580796 |title=Framlingham/Prague: Former Suffolk schoolgirl Christina Johnston described as an "angel" as she sings for European leaders |date=1 May 2014 |last=Hirst |first=Andrew |work=[[East Anglian Daily Times]] |access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> she has sung leading roles, notably, at the [[Prague State Opera]], including the Queen of the Night in Mozart's ''[[The Magic Flute]]''. She has sung before various heads of state, including [[Miloš Zeman]], President of the [[Czech Republic]], and [[Xi Jinping]], [[President of the People's Republic of China]].


== Early life ==
==Early life==
When Johnston was four, she and her mother Gillian were involved in a car crash while heading for Amberfield School, near [[Ipswich]]. Johnston can still recall her mother being cut out of the automobile and resuscitated in the ambulance on the way to hospital, where her injuries kept her for five months. Johnston herself spent three weeks in the same hospital with a broken left leg and numerous cuts on her head, and return for further surgery six months later.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/what-s-on/i-m-just-a-girl-from-framlingham-says-rising-classical-musical-star-christina-johnston-1-5229027 |title=I'm Just a Girl from Framlingham |work=East Anglian Daily Times |date=9 October 2017 |accessdate=10 September 2020 |author=Savage, Wayne}}</ref>
When Johnston was four, she and her mother Gillian were involved in a head-on car crash while heading for Amberfield School, near Ipswich. Johnston can still recall the sight of her mother being cut out of the automobile and being resuscitated in the ambulance on the way to hospital. Gillian would remain in the hospital for five months straight as a result of her injuries. Johnston herself spent three weeks in the hospital. In addition to having broken her left leg, she also received numerous cuts on her head.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/what-s-on/i-m-just-a-girl-from-framlingham-says-rising-classical-musical-star-christina-johnston-1-5229027 | title=I'm Just a Girl from Framlingham | work=East Anglian Daily Times | date=9 October 2017 | accessdate=10 September 2020 | author=Savage, Wayne}}</ref> Six months after being released, Gillian had to return to the hospital for more major surgery. During this troubling time, Johnston became closer to her father, Peter, who taught her piano and guitar. It was Peter who made Johnston sing harmony along with him as he played, thus igniting her passion for singing. As a youth, she would ask visitors to the family home if she could perform a song for them. When Johnston was eleven, she lost her father Peter when he died unexpectedly. In 2019, Johnston wrote a song as a tribute to her father, entitled "Learning to Breathe." Recorded at a Meerkat Midnight Session, the track is available for listening on YouTube. A devout Christian, Johnston has always credited her father Peter as her main inspiration. From 2010-2012, Johnston studied as a young artist at Narodni Divadlo.


During this time, Johnston became close to her father, Peter, who taught her piano and guitar and had her sing harmony with him as he played. However, he died unexpectedly when she was eleven. In 2019, Johnston she wrote him a vocal tribute entitled "Learning to Breathe", recorded at a Meerkat Midnight Session and available for YouTube. Johnston also credits her father for her devout Christianity.
⚫
== Musical education ==


From 2010–2012, Johnston studied as a young artist at Narodni Divadlo.
⚫
Johnston attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London when she turned eighteen. Due to the competitive nature of the school, it is customary for one to have to await the arrival of an acceptance letter, but Johnston was offered a scholarship immediately following her first audition. Johnston's vocal range is classified as an ''acuto sfogato'', meaning that her voice can reach above an F6 note. Johnston is able to reach a 'C' note in the seventh register, which is an unheard-of quality even for coloratura sopranos. When she turned twenty-one, Johnston moved to Prague, and received a spot in the State Opera. She then began working to perfect her coloratura capabilities while there. In 2012, she made her debut in Prague in the part of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's ''The Magic Flute'', and also as Adele in Strauss' ''The Revenge of the Bat''. She appeared in three seasons of Mozart's ''Don Giovanni'' as Zerlina at the Estates Theater, Prague. Subsequently, Johnston has toured the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Asia, and South America as a solo act. She was also a mainstay singing for the Prague Film Festival annually until the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Although renowned for her operatic roles on stage, Johnston says that her initial ambition was to become a star of musical theater. She cites Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as her favorite composer.<ref name="Juiced Marketing">{{cite web | last1=Johnston | url=https://www.christinajohnstonofficial.com/bio/ | title=Christina Johnston Official | accessdate=9 September 2020 | website=christinajohnstonofficial.com}}</ref>


⚫
==Musical education==
==''Blessing''==
⚫
Johnston attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London when she turned 18, having been offered a scholarship immediately after her first audition. Johnston's vocal range is classified as an ''acuto sfogato'', meaning she can reach above an F6 note. Indeed she can reach a "C" note in the seventh register, which is otherwise unheard from a coloratura sopranos. When she turned 21, Johnston moved to Prague for a vacancy at the State Opera, where she worked to perfect her coloratura capabilities. Her 2012 debut in Prague was as Queen of the Night in Mozart's ''The Magic Flute'' and as Adèle in Strauss's ''The Revenge of the Bat''. She appeared for three seasons of Mozart's ''Don Giovanni'' as Zerlina at the Estates Theatre, Prague. Later she toured the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Asia and South America as a solo act, while acting as a mainstay for the annual Prague Film Festival until the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
⚫
Having long desired to make a name for herself in England, Christina Johnston officially released her first album in September 2017. Entitled ''Blessing'', it features recordings by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. British producer James Fitzpatrick produced it for Tadlow Music. Reportedly, Johnston had dreamed of making a classical album since the age of 14. It has Johnston singing in nine different languages, including [[Occitan]]. The album was conducted by Richard Hein.<ref name="Tadlow Music">{{Cite web |last1=Johnston |url=https://www.tadlowmusic.com/2017/09/blessing-christina-johnston/ |title=Blessing - Christina Johnston |accessdate=9 September 2020 |website=tadlowmusic.com}}</ref> It includes Mozart's "Der Holle Rache Kocht in Meinem Herzen", which has since become one of her regular items, as it allows her to sing notes in the sixth register. She then decided her ambition was to maximise the number of people for whom she sings. The album is currently ranked at 759,600th in CDs and Vinyl and 33,050th in Symphonies, on Amazon.com's bestseller rank.<ref name="Amazon.com">{{Cite web |last1=Johnston |url=https://www.amazon.com/Blessing-Christian-Johnston/dp/B0748RC61Y/ref=tmm_acd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1599717036&sr=8-1 |title=Blessing |accessdate=9 September 2020 |website=amazon.com}}</ref>


Although renowned for her stage roles, Johnston says her initial ambition was to star in musical theatre. She cites Mozart as her favourite composer.<ref name="Juiced Marketing">{{Cite web |last1=Johnston |url=https://www.christinajohnstonofficial.com/bio/ |title=Christina Johnston Official |accessdate=9 September 2020 |website=christinajohnstonofficial.com}}</ref>
⚫
== Personal life ==
⚫
Johnston married Viacheslav Myachin on 17 October 2010. He is credited as executive producer on the ''Blessing'' album, along with Janet Fitzpatrick. Myachin , originally from Russia, moved to Prague to work for his family's furniture business, and Johnston relocated along with him. In the year 2019, the two began the process of relocating to the UK. Johnston's mother Gillian continues to live in Suffolk.


== Current ==
==''Blessing''==
⚫
Having long desired to make a name for herself in England, Christina Johnston officially released her first album in September 2017. Entitled ''Blessing'', it features recordings by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. British producer James Fitzpatrick produced it for Tadlow Music. Reportedly, Johnston had dreamed of making a classical album since the age of 14. It has Johnston singing in nine different languages, including [[Occitan]]. The album was conducted by Richard Hein.<ref name="Tadlow Music">{{Cite web |last1=Johnston |url=https://www.tadlowmusic.com/2017/09/blessing-christina-johnston/ |title=Blessing - Christina Johnston |accessdate=9 September 2020 |website=tadlowmusic.com}}</ref> It includes Mozart's "Der Holle Rache Kocht in Meinem Herzen", which has since become one of her regular items, as it allows her to sing notes in the sixth register. She then decided her ambition was to maximise the number of people for whom she sings. The album is currently ranked at 759,600th in CDs and Vinyl and 33,050th in Symphonies, on Amazon.com's bestseller rank.<ref name="Amazon.com">{{Cite web |last1=Johnston |url=https://www.amazon.com/Blessing-Christian-Johnston/dp/B0748RC61Y/ref=tmm_acd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1599717036&sr=8-1 |title=Blessing |accessdate=9 September 2020 |website=amazon.com}}</ref>


⚫
==Personal life==
⚫
Johnston and her husband Myachin returned to the UK in 2019. Having lost her paying work due to the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, Christina Johnston has recently been performing a series of "lockdown" concerts from her home in Suffolk with the help of her husband. Concerts performed most recently have included Johnston's selected vocal renditions of tracks from ''Evita'', ''Moulin Rouge'', ''The Greatest Showman'', and ''Phantom of the Opera''. The performances can be watched on Johnston's official Facebook page, as well as on her YouTube channel.<ref>Johnston, Raymond (29 June 2015). [http://www.praguepost.com/profile/48497-british-coloratura-makes-her-base-in-prague "British coloratura makes her base in Prague"]
⚫
Johnston was married on 17 October 2010 to Viacheslav Myachin, who is credited as executive producer on the ''Blessing'' album, along with Janet Fitzpatrick. Myachin, originally from Russia, moved to Prague to work for his family's furniture business, where Johnston joined him. In the year 2019, they began the process of relocating to the UK. Johnston's mother Gillian continues to live in Suffolk.<ref>Raymond Johnston, (29 June 2015). [http://www.praguepost.com/profile/48497-british-coloratura-makes-her-base-in-prague "British coloratura makes her base in Prague"] of {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914111112/http://www.praguepost.com/profile/48497-british-coloratura-makes-her-base-in-prague |date=14 September 2015}}. ''[[The Prague Post]]''.</ref>


⚫
Having lost her paid work due to the pandemic, Johnston has performed a series of "lockdown" concerts from her home in Suffolk, with help from her husband. Those performed most recently have included Johnston's selected vocal renditions of tracks from ''Evita'', ''Moulin Rouge'', ''The Greatest Showman'' and ''Phantom of the Opera''. These appear on Johnston's Facebook page and on her YouTube channel.
of{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914111112/http://www.praguepost.com/profile/48497-british-coloratura-makes-her-base-in-prague |date=14 September 2015}}. ''[[The Prague Post]]''.</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=[[East Anglian Daily Times]]|date=13 March 2015|url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/what-s-on/suffolk_soprano_christina_johnson_s_whirlwind_adventures_in_eastern_europe_1_3992363|title=Suffolk soprano Christina Johnson's 'whirlwind' adventures in Eastern Europe|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite news |work=[[East Anglian Daily Times]] |date=13 March 2015 |url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/what-s-on/suffolk_soprano_christina_johnson_s_whirlwind_adventures_in_eastern_europe_1_3992363 |title=Suffolk soprano Christina Johnson's 'whirlwind' adventures in Eastern Europe |access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 09:49, 27 October 2020

Christina Johnston

Christina Johnston is an English coloratura soprano. Born in Framlingham, Suffolk, and educated at Framlingham College,[1] she has sung leading roles, notably, at the Prague State Opera, including the Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute. She has sung before various heads of state, including Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic, and Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China.

Early life

When Johnston was four, she and her mother Gillian were involved in a car crash while heading for Amberfield School, near Ipswich. Johnston can still recall her mother being cut out of the automobile and resuscitated in the ambulance on the way to hospital, where her injuries kept her for five months. Johnston herself spent three weeks in the same hospital with a broken left leg and numerous cuts on her head, and return for further surgery six months later.[2]

During this time, Johnston became close to her father, Peter, who taught her piano and guitar and had her sing harmony with him as he played. However, he died unexpectedly when she was eleven. In 2019, Johnston she wrote him a vocal tribute entitled "Learning to Breathe", recorded at a Meerkat Midnight Session and available for YouTube. Johnston also credits her father for her devout Christianity.

From 2010–2012, Johnston studied as a young artist at Narodni Divadlo.

Musical education

Johnston attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London when she turned 18, having been offered a scholarship immediately after her first audition. Johnston's vocal range is classified as an acuto sfogato, meaning she can reach above an F6 note. Indeed she can reach a "C" note in the seventh register, which is otherwise unheard from a coloratura sopranos. When she turned 21, Johnston moved to Prague for a vacancy at the State Opera, where she worked to perfect her coloratura capabilities. Her 2012 debut in Prague was as Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute and as Adèle in Strauss's The Revenge of the Bat. She appeared for three seasons of Mozart's Don Giovanni as Zerlina at the Estates Theatre, Prague. Later she toured the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Asia and South America as a solo act, while acting as a mainstay for the annual Prague Film Festival until the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Although renowned for her stage roles, Johnston says her initial ambition was to star in musical theatre. She cites Mozart as her favourite composer.[3]

Blessing

Having long desired to make a name for herself in England, Christina Johnston officially released her first album in September 2017. Entitled Blessing, it features recordings by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. British producer James Fitzpatrick produced it for Tadlow Music. Reportedly, Johnston had dreamed of making a classical album since the age of 14. It has Johnston singing in nine different languages, including Occitan. The album was conducted by Richard Hein.[4] It includes Mozart's "Der Holle Rache Kocht in Meinem Herzen", which has since become one of her regular items, as it allows her to sing notes in the sixth register. She then decided her ambition was to maximise the number of people for whom she sings. The album is currently ranked at 759,600th in CDs and Vinyl and 33,050th in Symphonies, on Amazon.com's bestseller rank.[5]

Personal life

Johnston was married on 17 October 2010 to Viacheslav Myachin, who is credited as executive producer on the Blessing album, along with Janet Fitzpatrick. Myachin, originally from Russia, moved to Prague to work for his family's furniture business, where Johnston joined him. In the year 2019, they began the process of relocating to the UK. Johnston's mother Gillian continues to live in Suffolk.[6]

Having lost her paid work due to the pandemic, Johnston has performed a series of "lockdown" concerts from her home in Suffolk, with help from her husband. Those performed most recently have included Johnston's selected vocal renditions of tracks from Evita, Moulin Rouge, The Greatest Showman and Phantom of the Opera. These appear on Johnston's Facebook page and on her YouTube channel. [7]

References

  1. ^ Hirst, Andrew (1 May 2014). "Framlingham/Prague: Former Suffolk schoolgirl Christina Johnston described as an "angel" as she sings for European leaders". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  2. ^ Savage, Wayne (9 October 2017). "I'm Just a Girl from Framlingham". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  3. ^ Johnston. "Christina Johnston Official". christinajohnstonofficial.com. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  4. ^ Johnston. "Blessing - Christina Johnston". tadlowmusic.com. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  5. ^ Johnston. "Blessing". amazon.com. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  6. ^ Raymond Johnston, (29 June 2015). "British coloratura makes her base in Prague" of Archived 14 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. The Prague Post.
  7. ^ "Suffolk soprano Christina Johnson's 'whirlwind' adventures in Eastern Europe". East Anglian Daily Times. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2018.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christina_Johnston&oldid=985682952"