Dr. James Johnson,
Professor of Music and Augustana Choir Conductor
B.A. Luther College
M.A. University of Tennessee
Ph. D. University of Illinois

Q: How long have you been at Augustana? Why did you choose to accept a faculty position here? Why have you stayed?
"In the spring of 1992, I was on the faculty of The School of Music at Boston University, heading up the graduate and undergraduate programs in choral music and conducting. I received a phone call from a longtime mentor of mine, telling me that there was a position available as conductor of The Augustana Choir. The chance to direct the premiere choral ensemble at an ELCA college had long been my professional goal and I was excited by the possibility. The time I spent with the choir during my interview was amazing; their honesty, openness, and talent breathed new life into me. I would be able to combine my Christian faith with my love of choral music. That has made Augustana College home. I could not imagine teaching anywhere else."

Q: Please explain the importance of travel (regional, national, and international) to both the choir's mission and to its members' experience. Most recently, the choir toured Ireland. How was the trip?
"The Augustana Choir is unique in many ways but one that always stood out to me is that it was founded not by a music department, but was chartered by the college and its faculty to 'serve God, the Church, and our school' through choral music. In the words of the Choir’s founding conductor, Dr. Carl Youngdahl, the choir would 'perform a cappella and could thereby appear in the smallest of churches as well as the largest and our concert would be a sermon in song.' We take that mandate seriously to this very day. In May and June of 2004, the choir embarked upon a tour of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland with a title from a song we had commissioned: A Vision of Peace. From Belfast and Strabane in the north, to Galway, Killarney and Dublin in the south, the choir carried a message of peace and reconciliation. The people of Strabane followed the choir out of the church after our performance and we did a command performance in the parking lot. They were not going to let us go. After our performance in Killarney, the music director at the cathedral, Pádraig McIntyre, wrote so eloquently: 'I am still drawing from the musical and spiritual experience of your visit to St Mary's Church of Ireland and St Mary's Cathedral. I play the CD constantly as I travel . . .Maybe if the leaders of the world sat down and listened to your message and music, peace would be brokered.'"

Q: You also traveled to Oman this spring. Please tell us a little bit about this trip.
"This was a remarkable experience. I conducted the first international choral festival sponsored by the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools. The idea was the brain child of a former member of The Augustana Choir, Melanie Brink, who teaches at the international school in Muscat, Oman. Students from schools in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, India, and the United Arab Emirates gathered to sing together; within the choir of some 150 students, there were 53 nationalities. We got together in a part of the world where cooperation and good will are in short supply, but the spirit of these students gave hope to all who heard them perform. Everyone from ambassadors to parents, teachers to janitors, and dignitaries marveled at what these students accomplished. The highlight of the trip was the hope given for the future of our world by people whose only intent was to gather for a single purpose: the love of singing! One interesting aside: during my flight to Oman on British Airways, I discovered that this was the first commercial flight over Iraq since the war. We flew directly over the lights of Baghdad. One of the flight attendants said he was not as worried about an enemy missile bringing the plane down as he was friendly fire."

Q: What do you most enjoy about conducting the Augustana Choir?
"It is almost impossible for me to answer this question; the list is too long. The Augustana Choir is my musical voice. It embodies for me the essence of what makes choral music so special. We are able to explore texts and music--how they fit together, how they are best performed, what is their real meaning, how do I find my faith expressed in the combination of these particular words and notes. There is another layer added to the experience when you put undergraduate students in the middle of such goals. Students at this age are searching and open, skeptical and questioning, believing and doubting. I strongly believe that their musical ears and souls are shaped during these years and it is an awesome responsibility to have a hand in that molding. The Augustana Choir is currently in its 85th year and it has had only four full time conductors. That tells you a little about how important these students are to me and to the college."

Q: What is the best thing about being a member of the Augustana community?
The community of Augustana College is united by one overriding concern: the education of our students in a Christian and caring atmosphere. We can, and often do, disagree as a community about many things, but we know that the sharing of knowledge and the search for truth is what we are about. I believe in that purpose with my whole heart. Were we to lose sight of that goal, we would cease to be the community known as Augustana College."