Kiirsi Maunula Johnson

Canadian hornist Dr. Kiirsi Maunula Johnson, recent recipient of the Outstanding Teaching award from the University of Akron, Buchtel College, is an active clinician, chamber musician, and soloist. She has performed and presented on national and international stages for the International Horn Society, Ohio Music Educators Conference (OMEA), Music Fest Canada National Conference, and the CBDNA National Conference. Recently, she was a featured soloist with the University of Akron Wind Symphony, and in 2018 premiered Michael Conway Baker’s Remembrances for solo horn and brass ensemble at Memorial University, Canada. 

An advocate of new music, Dr. Maunula Johnson is co-founder of Conspiratus Brass, which celebrates the promotion and commission of Canadian and American repertoire for trumpet, horn, and piano. Together, they have commissioned half of the repertoire written for this instrumentation, and through generous grant support, they released their first album of newly commissioned works in April 2020. 

Dr. Maunula Johnson is currently on faculty at the University of Akron, the College of Wooster, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Previously, she served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Horn at the Crane School of Music (SUNY, Potsdam). She holds degrees from Florida State University, the University of Cincinnati (CCM), and Western University.