CCR founder chosen as one of Chicago’s most influential people in music
Lawrence A. Johnson, the founder of Chicago Classical Review, has been chosen one of the top behind-the-scenes figures in Chicago music by Newcity Chicago’s “Music 45” issue.
The entry in this week’s Newcity issue notes that with classical music coverage shrinking in media outlets every day, “Chicago native Lawrence Johnson’s venture fills an important and growing need, where we boast perhaps the best orchestra in the world, one of the top opera companies around, and a host of significant other venues, ranging from Ravinia to the Grant Park Music Festival.”
Acknowledging Johnson’s background as “a seasoned print journalist,” Newcity states that he “deploys multiple writers” in putting out “previews to features to thousands of reviews since [CCR] launched in 2009.” Newcity notes that Chicago Classical Review draws nearly 20,000 visitors a month at peak season. Johnson has also launched a national website, The Classical Review, as well as regional sites in Boston and Florida, with an announcement expected soon about a fifth site to launch this fall.
Johnson joins a distinguished list of area music figures across musical genres in 2013, which includes Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director Riccardo Muti, Ravinia president and CEO Welz Kauffman, CSO president and CEO Deborah F. Rutter, Grant Park Music Festival principal conductor and artistic director Carlos Kalmar, WFMT executive vice president and general manager Steve Robinson and Harris Theater manager and managing director Michael Tiknis, among others.
The list was last published in 2009: Johnson is one of 26 names new to the list from four years ago.
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6 Responses to “CCR founder chosen as one of Chicago’s most influential people in music”
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Posted Jul 19, 2013 at 1:35 pm by Phil
Congratulations, Lawrence! This is very well deserved. (And thanks to you and everyone else at CCR, too, for continuing to promote, inform, and thoughtfully critique the musical arts in Chicago!) CCR continues to be my go-to place for the Chicago classical music scene.
Posted Jul 19, 2013 at 2:34 pm by Lawrence A. Johnson
Thanks much!
LAJ
Posted Jul 19, 2013 at 5:54 pm by Bryant Manning
A no-brainer of a choice if there ever was one. Chicago (and beyond) greatly appreciates the 4+ years you have devoted to an exciting-but-oft-neglected scene.
Congratulations, Larry!
Posted Jul 19, 2013 at 9:02 pm by Lawrence A. Johnson
Thanks, Bryant. The lamp is in the CCR window, should you ever return to Chicago!
Posted Jul 19, 2013 at 9:37 pm by Rick Boyum
You and your writers are a “must read.” There are so many of us whose lives have classical music at the core. To be able to read daily the information, criticism, and thoughtful discussions makes a big difference in our lives. It has been great to watch CCR grow and thrive.
Posted Jul 29, 2013 at 8:45 am by Rich Russell
Congratulations Larry! Well-deserved!