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Biography: Graham Johnson

Graham Johnson studied at the Royal Academy of Music and subsequently with the late Geoffrey Parsons. He worked regularly with Peter Pears and Elizabeth Schwarzkopf. In 1976 he formed the Songmakers' Almanac to explore neglected areas of piano-accompanied vocal music; the founder singers were Dame Felicity Lott, Ann Murray, Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Richard Jackson – artists with whom he has established long and fruitful collaborations both on the concert platform and the recording studio

He has appeared in recital throughout the world, accompanying such distinguished singers as Sir Thomas Allen, Victoria de los Angeles, Elly Ameling, Arleen Auger, Ian Bostridge, Brigitte Fassbaender, Matthias Goerne, Thomas Hampson, Simon Keenlyside, Angelika Kirchschlager, Philip Langridge, Serge Leiferkus, Dame Felicity Lott, Christopher Maltman, Edith Mathis, Ann Murray, Lucia Popp, Christoph Prégardien, Dame Margaret Price, Thomas Quastoff, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Dorothea Röschmann, Kate Royal, Christine Schaefer, Peter Schreier, Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Sarah Walker.

He has had a long and fruitful link with Hyperion Records for whom he has devised and accompanied a set of complete Schubert Lieder on 37 discs, a milestone in the history of recording, and also a complete Schumann series. There is an ongoing French Song series where the complete songs of such composers as Chausson, Chabrier and Fauré are either already available, or in preparation. He has also recorded for Sony, BMG, Harmonia Mundi, Forlane, EMI and DGG.

He is Professor of Accompaniment at London's Guildhall School of Music, and is a Fellow of that School as well as of the Royal Academy of Music. He was made an OBE in the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours list and in 2002 he was created Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French Government. He was also made an Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society in February 2010.