Johannes Gray

Biography supplied for the 2024 competition.

Following his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of 14, cellist Johannes Gray (26) won the International Pablo Casals Award, is a multiple prizewinner at the International JS Bach Competition in Leipzig (on modern cello and 5 string piccolo cello), was a Gold Medalist of the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, received the Verbier Festival’s Prix de l’APCAV award, and was awarded the prestigious “Talent Adami Classique”.

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. Last season he gave his concerto debut in New York at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.

Highlights of 22/23 included performing with the Armenian State Orchestra, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and the Metamorphosen Berlin Chamber Orchestra, and at the Berlin Philharmonie, Dubai’s Theatre of Digital Arts, the State Opera Theatre of Tajikistan and the Casals Forum Kronberg.

Johannes enjoys a long-term musical relationship with pianist Anastasiya Magamedova (winner of National YoungArts and graduate of the Juilliard School). As a duo, they are laureates of the 2022 European Chamber Music Competition and have performed across Europe, America and the Middle East.

During his studies with Hans Jørgen Jensen in Chicago, Jérôme Pernoo in Paris, Frans Helmerson in Berlin, and Ivan Monighetti in Madrid he won numerous national and international prizes - in 2022 this included the first prize at the "World's Biggest Stage" International Competition (dedicated to contemporary music), laureate at the "Classic Strings" International Competition (Dubai) and the special prize at the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann.