Kurt Johnson, violin, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and received his Master of Music degree from Northwestern University in his hometown of Chicago. Before joining the Houston Symphony in September of 2000, he served as concertmaster of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and was a member of the Grant Park Orchestra. Kurt performs each summer in the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin. When not playing the violin, Kurt can be found walking his 3-year-old basset hound in his Midtown neighborhood or cheering on his favorite sports teams.