As a part of the ongoing Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations, up-and-coming soprano Camellia Johnson will perform at Spaulding Auditorium Saturday night at 8 p.m.
A shy vocalist whose talents have just recently been propelled into the limelilght, Johnson blends a lilting, full sound with a unique emotional timbre which adds considerable musical color to her repertoire.
Singing time-honored compositions by composers such as Bach and Claude Debussy, Johnson avoids the trap many classical musicians fall into, that of rendering compositions with technical fluency but little emotional content.
"I think music is meant to be enjoyed," Johnson said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "I don't think it is a mechanical process."
Part of her virtuosity stems from the wide range of musical influences she encompassed in the beginning of her career.
"I used to listen to everything," Johnson said. "I grew up with church and gospel music but I heard everything."
"It just so happened that when I started taking voice lessons, I got into classical music, she continued. "It was an idea that was totally new to me."
Her influences are duly reflected in her repertoire, which features a unique blend of compositions such as Debussy's "Nuit d'etoiles," Ricky Ian Gordon's "Harlem Night Song" and traditional spirituals.
While Debussy's dense, unresolved harmonic structures are as counterintuitive to instrumentalists as they are to vocalists, the blues-tinged melodic movement of spirituals present a different challenge entirely.
The diversity of music she performs is a testament to her musicianship and ability to inject emotional vigor into compositions.
"I think I have an affinity for music -- I love to make music, that's all," she said.
Her voice is consistently strong and unforced, her range is flexible and her melodic inflections are equally natural in all registers and scales. Noted for a rich, powerful soprano voice Johnson has thrived on the wealth of experience she gained singing a diverse selection of compositions early in her career.
With considerable vocal experience, Johnson looks to keep performing in a wide range of settings.
"Basically, I would like to do more recitals in more places -- maybe internationally -- and I'd like to record an album," Johnson said.
Initially working with organizations such as the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre, Johnson gained public attention when she was the sole winner of the 1993 Young Concert Artists International Auditions.
Johnson is currently working with the opera companies of Mobile and Atlanta as well as participating in various musical festivals and compositions.
Tickets for Saturday evening's 8 p.m. concert are available at the Hopkins Center Box Office. They are $8.50 for Dartmouth students and $17 for reserved seats.
A spotlight discussion with Bill Cook, chair of the English department, will precede Johnson's performance. The discussion is at 7 p.m. in the Faculty Lounge of the Hopkins Center.
