Johannes Gray, cello

Following his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of 14, cellist Johannes Gray (25) became the winner of the International Pablo Casals Award, Gold Medalist of the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the Verbier Festival’s Prix de l’APCAV award. In 2022, he received the prestigious French award "Talent Adami Classique''.

His solo engagements have taken him across four continents, including performances at the Berlin Philharmonie, the festivals of Ravinia and Verbier, Lincoln Center, SuperCello (Beijing), and the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam. During this past season, he played in Dubai’s Theatre of Digital Arts, the State Opera Theatre of Tajikistan, the Casals Forum at the Kronberg Academy and soloed with the Armenian State Orchestra, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and the Metamorphosen Berlin Chamber Orchestra.

During his studies with Hans Jørgen Jensen in Chicago, Jérôme Pernoo at the Conservatoire national Supérieur de musique in Paris, Frans Helmerson at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, and Ivan Monighetti at the Escuela Reina Sofia in Madrid, Johannes became a laureate of numerous national and international competitions and was featured on multiple television and radio stations. In 2022, he won first prize at the "World's Biggest Stage" international competition, dedicated to contemporary music, received a finalist award at the "Classic Strings" International Competition, and a special prize at the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann.

He currently resides in Paris, where he has been based since 2015. Johannes enjoys a long-term musical relationship with pianist Anastasiya Magamedova (winner of National YoungArts and graduate of the Juilliard School). Together they are Artists in Residence at the Scandinavian Cello School in Stevns, Denmark and are laureates of the 2022 European Chamber Music Competition.