CCM grad Chandler Johnson named artistic director of Dayton Opera
Johnson discussed his new role and his UC experience with the Dayton Daily News
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) recently appointed CCM alumnus Chandler Johnson (BM Voice, 2016; MM Voice, 2018) as the seventh Artistic Director of the Dayton Opera. He will begin a three-year term on July 1, 2026.
Johnson most recently served as Director of the Apprentice Program for Singers at the Santa Fe Opera, where he collaborated on season planning, casting strategy, budget forecasting and long-term artistic initiatives for one of the nation’s leading opera companies. Originally from Greenville, South Carolina, Johnson is thrilled to return to Ohio, bringing his career back to the region where his professional training took shape.
“Chandler Johnson is one of the most exciting and creative artists working in the field of opera,” said DPAA President and CEO Patrick Nugent; "He brings to the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance a rich international network of singers and stage directors, a sterling reputation for excellence, and a history of spotting and nurturing the best new talent in opera."
“I am profoundly honored to join the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance as the next Artistic Director of Dayton Opera," Johnson said in an official statement relased by the DPAA. "Dayton Opera has a rich 65-year history of artistic excellence, and I am thrilled to build upon that incredible foundation.” Read the full announcement on the DPAA's website.
[CCM] gave me the real college experience paired with the rigors of a real conservatory.
Chandler Johnson
In an interview with the Dayton Daily News, Johnson explained that he enjoyed studying at CCM, "because it gave me the real college experience paired with the rigors of a real conservatory." He continued, "It was very exciting to always feel I had a foot in the football games, the basketball games – the active life on campus – but also at the same time very serious music making."
This dynamic is part of what makes CCM so unique: the college provides highly specialized instruction in a conservatory setting, while also allowing students to enjoy the broader college experience within a comprehensive public university that is part of the prestigious "Big 12" athletic conference.
CCM’s Opera and Voice Departments provide one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches, and directors in the United States. CCM offers an international faculty of dedicated educators who are also celebrated professionals in their own right, widely and currently active in their respective fields. Many of the college’s graduates have achieved notable success in the performing and media arts, and 94.1% of graduates are working or continuing their education one year after graduation.
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At the University of Cincinnati, we realize the impact our teaching, research, artistry and service can have on our community and the world. So, we don’t wait for change to happen. We break boundaries, boldly imagine and create what’s Next. To us, today’s possibilities spark tomorrow’s reality. That’s why we are leading urban public universities into a new era of innovation and impact, and that's how we are defining Next for the performing and media arts.
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Featured image at the top: CCM alumnus Chandler Johnson. Photo/Curtis Brown.
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