Olive-Harvey College Faculty Member Shines in Roles on Stage and in Classroom

Cornelius Johnson, an associate professor of music and the chair of the Humanities Department at Olive-Harvey College, credits his musical upbringing and his deep commitment to the arts for his success as both a professional singer and a music educator.

On April 8, Professor Johnson, a tenor, wrapped up a five-show run in “Proximity” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The production blends three one-act New American operas—”The Walkers,” “Four Portraits,” and “Night”—to create a two-hour opera production that illuminates themes of connection in a technology-focused society, issues of social justice and the impact of gun violence, and the necessity to value and preserve our planet.

Johnson played the role of passenger five in “Four Portraits.” He sang the part of one of eight passengers that interact with two central characters who are connected by love but divided by technology.

“We are all shown going through life distracted in various ways, and the music reflects humor, yearning, and frustration,” Johnson said. “My particular character is focused on whether he is being seen. He continues to ask the philosophical questions, ‘Do they see me? Do they? Who am I?’”

Singing in a world premiere production at the Lyric Opera was particularly meaningful to Johnson as a life-long Chicago musician. The scenery and sounds in “Four Portraits” pay homage to Chicago’s skyline and even its CTA trains.

“Being a part of this production means so much to me as a singer and Chicagoan,” he said. “The Lyric is known around the world, and my connection to the music community here helped bring this main stage and big house debut role to me.”

Johnson grew up on the South Side, where his parents, both educators, surrounded him with music at home and at the church where his father was the pastor. As part of a musical family, he began playing the piano at just three years old and eventually sang and played for his church choir. In high school, Johnson joined Chicago’s All City High School Chorus and participated in music theatre at Percy Julian High School. During this time, he became more aware of venues like the Lyric Opera of Chicago and its repertoire and reach.

Nonetheless, Johnson didn’t initially see himself pursuing music as a career and began college as a business major at Morehouse College. He continued singing with student ensembles there and ultimately decided to declare a major in music and voice as an upperclassman.

Those same themes of connection and belonging that drew Johnson to his role in “Proximity” show up every day in his roles as a professor and department chair at Olive-Harvey College. He joined the City Colleges community, became an assistant professor at Olive-Harvey College in 2006, and later became the chair of the Humanities Department there.

Johnson enjoys teaching at City Colleges because he understands firsthand how connection and support in college can take students to new heights. While his area of expertise is in voice-related classes and choirs, Johnson has had the pleasure of teaching general music, piano, and Black music workshops during his tenure.

Johnson believes that productions like “Proximity” have the potential to not just resonate with him, but with a wider audience as well. The production combined diverse kinds of music into its score, including traditional and contemporary opera, rap, gospel, and even the hums and beeps of technology found in daily modern life.

“Opera can be for everyone – I really want people to know that,” he said. “The earliest of operas were contemporary for their day. We are still trying to make sure the stories we tell reflect what is happening today. I certainly saw that with ‘Proximity.’”

If you’re interested in a degree or career in the arts and humanities, learn more about Olive-Harvey College’s Humanities Department here.

Cornelius Johnson is an associate professor of music and the chair of the Humanities Department at Olive-Harvey College. A native of Chicago, Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts from Morehouse College, a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University, and most recently, he completed requirements for the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Mr. Johnson’s repertoire encompasses classical, musical theatre, opera, and sacred music. He has performed in across the world and throughout the United States. Highlights of his operatic performances have included roles in “Carmen,” “Freedom Ride,” “La Bohème,” “Porgy and Bess”, “The Magic Flute,” and “Troubled Island,” with such companies as the Chicago Opera Theater, Houston Grand Opera, La Scala in Milan, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Bastille in Paris, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, San Francisco Opera, South Shore Opera Company of Chicago, and Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain.