The harpsichordist and organist Sara Johnson Huidobro (1992, León- Spain), combines her international activity as a concertist and teacher with her organ and fortepiano studies at the "Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover" (in the classes of Roland Dopfer and Prof. Zvi Meniker).
She has recently been awarded with a scholarship from the "Deutscher Musik Wettbewerb" (German Music Competition) and the Early Music special prize of the Ensemble Akademie Freiburg with the ensemble "Marsyas Baroque" (2019). Furthermore, she has won several prizes and mentions: the first prize at the "Biagio Marini" Competition with the Ensemble "Marsyas Baroque" (Neuburg an der Donau, Germany, 2019) the second prize at the National Organ Competition "Francisco Salinas" (Burgos, Spain, 2019), the second prize at the "Maurizio Pratola" International Early Music Competition (with "Cancrizans Duo", l' Aquila, Italy, 2017), the second prize at the "Torneo Internazionale di Musica" (Turin, 2016), the prize of the jury and the special prize of the audience in the II International Festival of Early Music from Gijón (with the Ensemble “Barrock’n’Roll”, 2013), the Special Mention at the National “Young Musicians” Competition (Murcia, Spain, 2010), the Special Mention at the National “Melómano” Competition (Madrid, Spain, 2009), the Extraordinary Music Prize from Castilla-León (Spain), etc.
She has been a member of several ensembles and orchestras, such as the European Union Baroque Orchestra 2016-2017, and has performed under the conduction of renowned musicians such as Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Alfredo Bernardini and Konrad Junghänel (among others). She has collaborated with "L' Arte dei Suonatori" (2019) and the "Simón Bolívar" Baroque Orchestra from Venezuela (2015).
Sara Johnson has performed at several festivals, such as "Trigonale" (Autria, 2018 and 2019), "ON" Music Festival for Contemporary Music of Cologne (Germany, 2018), Early Music Festival of the Pyrenees (Spain, 2014), to mention but a few. She has done concerts as a soloist on the harpsichord and the organ in many concert halls and churches: Arp Schnitger organ in the St. Cyprian und Cornelius Church in Ganderkesee (2018), baroque organ from Pampliega (Burgos, Spain, 2019), organs of Astorga's Cathedral and Parish Church Santa María in La Bañeza (2017-2018), harpsichord concerts at the festival "Hausmusikwoche Bremen" (2018), at the "Ángel Barja" concert hall (León, 2015), in the "Tañedores" concert series (Zaragoza, 2010, 2012), concert tour as harpsichordist organized by “Juventudes Musicales de España” through some Spanish towns (León, Ponferrada, Sober, La Vall d´Uxó, etc, 2011-2012), etc.
She is co-founder of the ensemble “Barrock’n’Roll”, which has given concerts in many festivals and concert series in Spain (Festival of Early Music from the Pyrenees, concerts in Estany Gento and Pont de Suert, 2014; Chamber Music Festival "Fundación Monteleón", León, 2015; "Cercle Cultural Sant Lluc", Barcelona, 2015...). Moreover, she has performed with "La Folia" at the “Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center” (Izmir, Turkey, 2012) and with ensembles "Ambraflocken" and "Cancrizans Duo" in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
She has done CD- recordings with the "Kammerensemble Konsonanz" and the international trumpet soloist Fabio Brum (October, 2018), with the same ensemble and renowned soloists from the Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela (Edicson Ruiz, Pacho Flores, Alejandro Carrillo and Sergio Suárez; September 2017) and with the Bremer Baroque Consort (under the conducton of Manfred Cordes; August, 2018) .
Sara Johnson Huidobro began her harpsichord studies with Nacho Rodríguez and Delia Manzano and did her Bachelor with Silvia Márquez at the Conservatory of Aragón (obtaining “Summa cum Laude”), where she also took her first organ lessons with Saskia Roures. She fulfilled her harpsichord Master with Carsten Lohff at the "Hochschule für Künste Bremen".
She has taken organ lessons from Hans Davidsson, Pieter Dirksen, Montserrat Torrent and Roberto Fresco (Palencia, Spain, 2017), pianoforte lessons from Mikayel Balyan (Bremen, 2017) and harpsichord courses from Lars Ulrik Mortensen (Echternach, 2015, 2016), Marieke Spaans (Echternach, 2015, 2016), Andreas Staier (Karlsruhe, 2015), Ilton Wyuniski (Aveiro, 2005; Vinça, 2006; Académie Musicale de Villecroze, 2011), Pierre Hantaï (Montisi, 2010; Lisieux, 2012; Saint Loup, 2013), Jacques Ogg (Salamanca, 2012), etc.
*Photo: Foppe Schut