Conductor and Composer, German-American dual citizen with significant Latino heritage, Johannes Löhner speaks six languages and travels over 20 weeks a year. He has gathered experience with renowned institutions across the world, including the Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio-Symphony, DSO Berlin, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Hamburg Symphony, Sarasota Opera, Armenian State Symphony, Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and Nürnberger Symphoniker. This season sees the release of his Pater Noster, completion of two full-length opera commissions (Romeo & Juliet to original text by Shakespeare, and Still Alice to the bestselling novel by Lisa Genova, in cooperation with librettist Crystal Manich), publication of the poetry collection A Harvest of Words, international tour of his album Solo: Winterreise, and a mainstage debut at Opera San José with La Traviata.

Following successful debuts with Falstaff and Tosca, Löhner was named Resident Conductor at Opera San José 2023-2025. He conducted performances of Roméo et Juliette, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rigoletto, Florencia en el Amazónas, The Magic Flute, La Bohème, and Bluebeard’s Castle. Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master to all mainstage productions, he engaged in recording projects, outreach events, solo recitals and lectures throughout each season.

Following two years as Resident Guest Conductor, Johannes Löhner served as Music Director of the Kammerorchester Regensburg 2018-2024. One of Germany’s exceptional non-state-funded professional orchestras for more than 40 years, the KOR survived the pandemic and progressed significantly during his tenure. Exacting standards, experience with historical performance practice, and charisma brought positive reviews as well as financial growth – a recent open-air concert gathering more than 14,000 listeners. Löhner maintains a strong relationship with the ensemble.

In 2021, Löhner led productions of Don Giovanni and Alcina at Chicago Summer Opera. In 2022, he was named Director of Studio Artists and Assistant Conductor at Sarasota Opera, working on La Fille du Régiment, Tosca, Pearl Fishers, and Attila.

From 2017-2020, Johannes Löhner was mentored by Sir Roger Norrington. Supported through a unique Fellowship, he accompanied him on projects with leading orchestras worldwide, explored a broad range of repertoire, and researched historical performance practice in depth.

Löhner worked with Riccardo Muti at the Tokyo Spring Festival in 2019/21, making his Japanese debut and conducting Verdi’s Rigoletto and Macbeth.

As Artistic Director & CEO of the International Salon Project from 2017-2023, Johannes Löhner interacted with leading performers, institutions, and sponsors to create unique live events. Löhner’s experience as a pianist and composer continues to help him bridge the gap between entrepeneurship and rigorous artistic standards. 

After graduating from the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg in 2016 with distinction, Johannes Löhner joined the faculty as Adjunct Professor of Conducting. In cooperations with the Staatstheater Nürnberg, he has since prepared operas by Puccini, Beethoven, Mozart, Sullivan, Kampe, Glanert and Orff.

Born in Washington DC, Johannes Löhner taught himself to play the piano as a child. He benefited from a unique musical upbringing, and came in contact with artists like Lorin Maazel and Menahem Pressler at an early age. In high school, he began conducting and won scholarships from the American Guild of Organists and National Symphony Orchestra. Löhner completed his Bachelor’s in Los Angeles, where he graduated magna cum laude with a dual-degree in Music Performance from Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, receiving awards from the school for Instrumental Conducting and Piano Performance. He enjoyed an individualized education, working with six different teachers on a weekly basis and conducting the Chapman Chamber Orchestra, Opera, and New Music Ensemble regularly. Löhner studied under Daniel Alfred Wachs, student of Otto-Werner Mueller, and took weekly lessons in solo piano from Grace Fong, protegé of Sergei Babayan. Dr. Louise Thomas supervised his dual-degree in Keyboard Collaborative Arts, and David Alt, student of the late French baritone Gérard Souzay, oversaw Löhners training as a lyric tenor. From 2014-2016, Löhner completed a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting with Guido Johannes Rumstadt at the Hochschule für Musik in Nuremberg, Germany. During this time, he conducted renowned ensembles such as the Hamburger Symphoniker, Nuremberg Symphony, Bad Reichenhall Philharmonic, Albrecht Dürer Symphoniker, and Munich Radio Symphony Academy Orchestra. He worked as Assistant Conductor and Repetiteur at the Carl Orff Festival in 2015, and as Cover Conductor of the Hans Sachs Choir from 2014-2017. Throughout his early career, Johannes Löhner appeared in Masterclasses around the world, working with pedagogues like Mark Gibson, Ulrich Windfuhr, Frank Strobel, Simone Young, and Riccardo Muti.