A scholarship graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, (with another full scholarship at the University of Michigan), plus studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University, John Koljonen has enjoyed an exciting international career as soloist and principal clarinetist with the American Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Lyric & Grand Opera Companies, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Denver Symphony Orchestra, The Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra, The Royal Ballet Orchestra, D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Scandinavian Symphony Orchestra, The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, The China Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Korean National Symphony. Conductors include Leopold Stokowski, Anton Guadagno, and Leonard Bernstein.
Mr. Koljonen has also enjoyed collaboration and concerts with many of the great singers of the 20th century, including Rita Streich, Joan Sutherland, Anna Moffo, Janet Perry, Judith Blegen, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Martial Singher.
He has performed in almost every major city in America, Europe and Asia, with various orchestras and chamber groups. La Journal de Geneve wrote "The clarinetist John Koljonen, revealed Mozart, Lutoslawski, and Schumann to us with playing of the very highest class". Leonard Bernstein described him as "a very talented clarinetist. He has a beautiful tone, and he is a sensitive musician". In the assessment of Leopold Stokowski, "John Koljonen is a clarinetist of extremely great talent. His tone and phrasing are that of an Artist of the highest order".
He has performed worldwide with solo recitals and chamber music including concerts with world-class artists and ensembles such as the Beaux-Arts, Lennox, and PhilArte (Philadelphia Orchestra) String Quartets, and at the Marlboro, Moravian, and Interlochen Music Festivals. The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: "The music season opened auspiciously Sunday afternoon with a concert of the Beaux-Arts String Quartet and clarinetist John Koljonen. His even tone, often of liquid beauty, was complemented by immaculate phrasing. May all this season's concerts be as enjoyable and well-played as this one!"
Mr. Koljonen has collaborated in concerts with Pablo Casals, Hermann Busch, Alexander Schneider, Zoltan Kodaly, Luis Biava, Ruth Laredo, Rudolph Serkin, Peter Serkin, Marcel Moise, Josef Gingold, Isaac Stern, Michael Rabin, and Wilfred Pelletier (The Honorable late Cultural Minister of Canada).
He has lectured and performed in hundreds of schools and universities in the USA, as a representative of Young Audiences Inc., served as Artist-in-Residence at Juniata College (Pennsylvania, U.S.A), taught at the Philadelphia Academy for Performing Arts, and Seoul National University.
One of several performance grants included a tour in S.E. Asia under the aegis of the United States Department of State. His mandate was to assist selected Asian orchestras to achieve higher standards of woodwind performance, a project which received publication in the MUSIC JOURNAL. In Korea, was presented a Gold Key to the City of Seoul for his cultural contributions to the nation.
Mr. Koljonen has recorded Mozart's Grand Partita - Serenade for 13 Winds with the American Symphony Orchestra on Vanguard Records. The review in Stereo Review Magazine read as follows: "This disc is convincing testimony that American musicians have achieved the highest standard of wind playing every reached anywhere, anytime".
