Biography

Swedish violist Ami-Louise Johnsson has been lauded for her insightful musicianship and the warmth of her captivating sound. With a growing career as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist, she is steadily establishing herself as a prominent voice in the classical music world.

2021, Ami-Louise was awarded 2nd prize and the Dvorak Society Award at the Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition in Prague. That same year, she received the Junior Award from the Hattori Foundation in London.

Her musical journey has taken her to some of Europe’s finest festivals and masterclasses, including the Verbier Festival Academy, Yellow Barn, IMS Prussia Cove, Whittington Festival, Fjord Classics, Rusk Festival, and Valdres Sommersymfoni. As a passionate chamber musician, Ami-Louise has had the privilege of performing alongside renowned artists such as Philippe Graffin, Donald Weilerstein, Alasdair Beatson, Marianna Shirinyan, Akiko Ono, Marc Coppey, and Priya Mitchell.

In 2023, she had the opportunity to work closely with distinguished composer Edwin Roxburgh, leading to the creation of Rhapsody for Solo Viola, which premiered at Milton Court Concert Hall in June 2024.

Ami-Louise is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with David Takeno. Since beginning her bachelor’s degree in 2019, she has been an Anglo-Swedish Society Scholar as well as receiving support from the Drake Calleja Trust in 2021 and 2023. This year, she was deeply honored to receive a scholarship from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust for the second consecutive year. At Guildhall, she was awarded the Max and Peggy Morgan Viola Prize and the St James Chamber Music Prize. In 2024, she was invited as a Fellow at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in Nova Scotia, where she spent a month working and performing chamber music in various ensembles.

Ami-Louise’s growth as a musician has been greatly influenced by masterclasses with some of the world’s most revered violists and chamber musicians, including Gábor Takács-Nagy, Nobuko Imai, Antoine Tamestit, Lars Anders Tomter, András Keller, David Waterman, and Kim Kashkashian.

She was awarded the Sigrid Paskell Award in Performing Arts from SWEA International (2023) and the Kraus Award (2021).

Born in Stockholm in 2001, Ami-Louise began her violin studies at the age of five at Lilla Akademien Music School with Nina Balabina and Oleg Balabine, later studying with Hugo Ticciati. She made her debut at the age of eight with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, performing Bach’s A minor Violin Concerto.