Corbin Johnston

Corbin Johnston served as NOVA’s artistic director from 2004-2009.

Corbin Johnston, Utah Symphony Associate Principal Bassist, was named Artistic Director of NOVA Chamber Music Series in 2004. His tenure was distinguished by a broad range of projects further connecting NOVA to the local community and to audiences farther afield.

In 2007, NOVA took a leading role in organizing Music for the End of Time: Olivier Messiaen in Utah, a collaboration with numerous arts organizations of Salt Lake City commemorating Messiaen’s historic 1972 visit to Utah. 2007 also marked the establishment of a string quartet residency featuring the Fry Street Quartet, resident artists at the Caine College of Arts at Utah State University. NOVA’s 30th anniversary season began with a commission from University of Utah’s Morris Rosenzweig and the series’ first commercial recording.

During Corbin’s tenure, he and Board President Frank Hanson established an endowment fund for NOVA. This fund has grown over the years and helps ensure NOVA’s financial stability. In addition, the season expanded from five to six concerts, with occasional repeat performances at BYU and Snow College. The NOVA Music Project, an educational concert series for children, was introduced in 2005.

A note from Corbin Johnston regarding Frank Hanson:

A distinguished gentleman walked up to me at a NOVA concert and introduced himself as Frank Hanson. When we shook hands he pressed a small piece of paper into my hand. It was a check. He then offered to present me with another one if he could buy me lunch sometime soon. I readily agreed, but offered that I should be the one buying lunch. He disagreed, we had the first of many lunches soon after. Our common ground we soon discovered was endowments. I had spent so much time talking to the Board of the Utah Symphony about their importance that then Board Chair Chase Peterson would introduce me at meetings by saying “And now Corbin is going to talk to us about the endowment”. Frank, on the other hand, had already created a number of endowments and embraced the idea that they are the building blocks of successful arts organizations. It is only fitting (and no surprise) that Joan and Frank's names are at the top of the list of endowment contributors for NOVA!

There were many wonderful connections like the one with Frank and Joan with board members, patrons, colleagues and sponsors. But my enduring memory is not of any particular performance or relationship but of an eight year old boy, who’s name I don’t know. At the NOVA Project concerts we didn’t try to educate children, we just played great music for them. At each performance we gave every 3rd grader a note pad and pencil to do with as they pleased. Some scribbled notes to each other, others wrote novels. But this one young fellow never touched his. He just sat and listened to Beethoven’s opus 59, no. 3 (complete). After the quartet was over he looked over to me and said “Thank you”. It was a beautiful lesson for me. Talk less and play more.