A Joyous Celebration

Music by M Zachary Johnson,
reviewed by ANNA L FRANCO

On 13 May 2007, M Zachary Johnson held a concert of his compositions at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, as a Mother's Day celebration. The theme of the event, 'She Walks in Beauty', is the title of a poem by Lord Byron which Johnson has set to music as one of the three songs in his program. One year ago, also on 13 May (2006), M Zachary Johnson had his music premièred at Steinway Hall, New York City. [There are links to further reviews at the end of this article.]

M Zachary Johnson recently held the position of Composer-in-Residence at Austin Peay State University for the 2007 Governor's Band Festival. He graduated with a masters degree from the Mannes College of Music, where he was the recipient of the Felix Salzer Prize for Excellence in Music Theory. His undergraduate degrees are from the University of Michigan, and he also trained at the Salzburg University and the Schola Cantorium in Paris. He teaches at the preparatory division of the Mannes College in New York.

The concert opened with Two Wedding Pieces (2007), a melodious duet which the composer had written for the two performers, Brian Horner, saxophone, and his wife Erin Horner, horn. The first piece, Processional, was a graceful introduction, followed by its companion piece, Fanfare, a joyous celebration. Brian Horner is on the faculty of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. Erin Horner is on the faculty at Cumberland University and Trevecca Nazarene University; she also teaches the pre-college studio at Vanderbilt University.

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