Martha Guth and Graham Johnson in Recital

Juno- and Latin Grammy–nominated soprano Martha Guth’s recital and concert highlights include Wigmore Hall, Lincoln Center, the National Cathedral, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Her longtime recital and touring partners include Graham Johnson and Erika Switzer. Her recitals have been recorded and broadcast for the CBC/Radio-Canada, the BBC, and the WDR. Guth is assistant professor of voice at Ithaca College, and on the faculty at SongFest and the Vocal Academy at the Collaborative Piano Institute. At SongFest, she is also the artistic administrator for their composer mentorship program.  

A model collaborator, Guth has earned special distinction for her passionate devotion to recital and chamber repertoire, earning first prize at the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition in London. 

Graham Johnson is recognized as one of the world’s leading vocal accompanists, studying at the Royal Academy of Music, London. In 1972 he was the official pianist for Peter Pears’s first master classes at Snape Maltings, which brought him into contact with Benjamin Britten. 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 DBE, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, and Richard Jackson.

Graham devises and accompanies concerts regularly at Wigmore Hall, from the re-opening series in 1992 and in its centenary celebrations in 2001. He is senior professor of accompaniment at the Guildhall School of Music and has led a biennial scheme for Young Songmakers since 1985. For Hyperion Records, he has devised and accompanied a set of complete Schubert lieder on 37 discs and a complete Schumann series. There is also an ongoing French song series and two solo recital discs with Alice Coote. 

Johnson’s awards include the Gramophone solo vocal award in 1989 (Dame Janet Baker), 1996 (Die schone Müllerin, Ian Bostridge), 1997 (Schumann series, Christine Schäfer), and 2001 (Magdalena Kozena). He was the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year in 1998; and in June 2000, he was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. He also is the author of several books; his latest, Poulenc—The Life in the Songs, was published in August 2020.