Article by Gwen Jones, Department of Family Services
(Posted 2024 June)
Christopher Johnston believes that music, more than any other art form, has the power to affect people in positive and profound ways. As the long-time music director and conductor of the NOVA Symphony Orchestra, his goal with every performance is to create a beautiful, shared experience for both the musicians and their audience. As the orchestra celebrates their 30th anniversary, Johnston reflects on his musical career and looks forward to what comes next.
Christopher Johnston was born in Washington, D.C. to Norman and Jacklyn Johnston, both consummate music lovers. During his childhood, the family moved out to the country, aka Fairfax County. Johnston’s musical education began when he was eight years old with piano and flute lessons. His father, also a musician, enjoyed playing guitar in his favorite genre – jazz. Johnston went to Fairfax County Public Schools and attended Lake Braddock Secondary School starting in 1973, the year it opened. He was very involved in music during high school and began composing as a teen. Johnston went on to Indiana University, where he received his Bachelor of Music in composition.
Johnston returned to Fairfax County after college and initially worked as an independent contractor – composing, conducting and teaching. He then served as Music Director at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, a large congregation in Fairfax, where he spent eight years composing and directing their music program. In 1995, he began teaching at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). From 1995-1996, he attended George Mason University, earning his Master of Arts in conducting.
In 1992, the Reunion Music Society (RMS) was co-founded by Dr. Claiborne Richardson, a lifelong educator who was first vice president of the Fairfax County Branch of the NAACP, and served on the College Board of NOVA for eight years as vice chair and chair. A nonprofit organization, the RMS was created with the mission of supporting young and unknown composers and performers and helping them introduce their works to the community; discovering and presenting little-known composers and seldom heard music; and promoting music of different cultures and heritages for diverse audiences. Christopher’s father, Norman, was also a founding member of the RMS and both his father and mother served on the board.
Two years after its founding, the RMS and NOVA President Richard J. Ernst formed a partnership to create the NOVA-Annandale Symphony Orchestra (later renamed the NOVA Symphony Orchestra) with Dr. Richardson serving as Music Director. At the time, NOVA was one of the only community colleges to have a symphony orchestra. The orchestra commissioned Johnston to compose a piece for their first inaugural concert, which he also conducted. Not long after, in 1996, he was asked to take over as music director of the orchestra, a role he’s held ever since.
The NOVA Symphony Orchestra is comprised of volunteer musicians and NOVA students, who earn college credit while playing with the orchestra. In the 28 years that Johnston has served as director, it has grown significantly and now numbers about 90 musicians, with a waitlist of musicians who want to join. Johnston understands the appeal, saying, “I think it’s the literature that we play, the experiences that we offer, and the venues that we play that are really attractive to people.”
Auditions aren’t required to join the orchestra, just a desire to play, perform, and learn from other musicians. Johnston considers the unique mix of musicians a plus, saying, “The NOVA Symphony Orchestra is probably the most intergenerational group in the area. And by that, I mean we have retired marine band musicians, current Fairfax County Public School teachers, and college students playing with us, so the age range is somewhere from 18 to 80.” As leader, it is his role to manage and motivate the musicians, mediate conflicts, and remind them of their primary goal – to create a positive experience for their audience.
It is also Johnston’s responsibility to serve as conductor, a role he loves. “The conductor is a performer who controls and maintains and projects the artistic vision for the group,” he says. He enjoys how each performance is unique, saying “There is something quite magical about it. It’s not the same ever. Every performance is going to be different in some way and you just don’t know what that’s going to be until you’re actually in it. “
In the summer of 2000, Johnston was hired to lead a new Music and Computer Technology (MCT) program at Fairfax Academy for Communications & the Arts. The academy is a special Fairfax County Public Schools program offering elective courses to help prepare students for careers in the arts. Students enrolled in MCT learn how to use computers and software to produce and publish their own music, record music digitally, and improve their basic musicianship skills. After accepting the role, Johnston discovered that no MCT curriculum existed, so after teaching for a year, he wrote the curriculum, which has since been adopted by a second MCT program at West Potomac High School, as well as other MCT programs. A year after he joined Fairfax Academy, Johnston’s wife, Song, was hired to lead the academy’s Korean language program. The couple juggled their demanding careers while raising their son, Andrew.
One goal of the NOVA Symphony Orchestra is to support young composers and help them successfully introduce their works to the community. With Johnston leading both the orchestra and the MCT program, a relationship developed between the two. “We premiered numerous works by kids from the academy and because I wore both hats, teaching composition for the county at the academy and conducting the symphony orchestra, I could make those things work in tandem with each other. It was a great relationship,” he recalls. For one student, having his work performed by an orchestra was a turning point. The student went on to study music at The University of California, Berkeley, and now composes music for films. NOVA Symphony Orchestra has also performed the work of NOVA students, including a recent instance where the student not only composed the piece but conducted it as well.
In addition to serving as music director and teaching, Johnston continued to compose original works. He often draws from one of his favorite musical genres – folk music – for his compositions. In 2005, the NOVA Symphony Orchestra premiered his work, “Variations on Arirang,” based on a Korean folk song. Years later, he composed a variation to the piece that they performed. Johnston has also been inspired by folk tales, writing a piece based on the tall tales of Stormalong, a 30-foot-tall mythic New England sea captain. He also enjoys writing music for children and believes more works like Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” are needed.
Johnston believes that music can impact lives in profound ways. Attending a concert and experiencing music together creates a sense of connection among the audience. Additionally, listening to music has been shown to lower blood pressure, alleviate anxiety and relieve depression. He recalls that during the last years of her life, his mother sought refuge from her illness in her favorite music, saying, “She didn’t want to do anything else except listen to music. She said she always felt better after listening. That music spoke to her, and it made those last months and years of her life better and made her illness more bearable.”
At the end of the 2022 school year, the Johnstons retired from Fairfax Academy. Retirement has allowed the couple to devote more time to travel, finally visiting places they weren’t able to while teaching full time. They took a memorable cruise through the Panama Canal, a place Johnston has always dreamed of visiting. The couple also hopes to visit Antarctica and Southeast Asia.
In addition to leading the NOVA Symphony Orchestra, Johnston teaches music composition and serves as music director of his church. He is also teaching himself how to tune pianos using online tutorials and YouTube videos. Someday, he hopes to create, produce and host a podcast for young musicians.
To celebrate NOVA Symphony Orchestra’s 30th anniversary, the orchestra board has been combing through the works they’ve performed over the years and selecting pieces to bring back and perform during their 2024 concerts. Over the summer, they will perform three concerts as part of Fairfax County Park Authority’s Summer Entertainment Series. They will also be the first orchestra to perform at Green Spring Village’s newly renovated space. For their Fall concert, they are excited to perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. To learn more about upcoming concerts and celebrations, visit reunionmusicsociety.org.
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).