Johanna Soller, conductor, harpsichordist and organist is one of the most versatile musicians of her generation.
She is chief conductor and artistic director of the baroque ensemble capella sollertia, which has its origin in a highly acclaimed performance of Bachs St. Matthew’s passion in 2019. She is also founder and artistic director of the Bach cantata series Cantate um 1715.
Johanna collaborates with ensembles such as Freiburger Barockorchester, the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, the Zürcher Singakademie, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hofkapelle München, Munich Symphony Orchestra and artists such as Julian Prégardien, Anna Prohaska, Hille Perl and Christine Schornsheim.
Among her chamber music partners are Kristin von der Goltz and Anne Katharina Schreiber. Previous engagements include Theater an der Wien, the International Handel Festival in Goettingen, Thueringer Bachwochen and AUDI summer concerts in Ingolstadt.
An acclaimed choral conductor, Johanna has taken rehearsals for ensembles such as the MDR Radio Choir Leipzig, the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, the Munich Bach Choir and the via nova choir and for conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Ulf Schirmer and Nicholas McGegan. From 2014 to 2020 she served as musical assistant to the Munich Bach Choir, with whom she continues to work. In 2021 she was a chosen finalist of the prestigious Eric Ericson Award in Stockholm and therefore worked with the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir and the St. Jacob’s Chamber Choir. A former fellow in the German Conductors Forum (Forum Dirigieren) of Deutscher Musikrat she also collaborated amongst others with the Bavarian Radio Choir.
Johanna is also in demand as an opera conductor and achieves an excellent reputation as Maestra al cembalo: In 2021 she returned to Theater an der Wien in Vienna as Studienleiter and musical assistant of Christopher Moulds in Claus Guth’s cheered production of Handel’s Saul, playing as well the harpsichord and carillon in the pit with Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. As Laurence Cummings’ musical assistant, she was repeatedly invited to the International Handel Festival in Göttingen. In 2019 she was appointed musical director of the Munich Chamber Opera. She gave her debut as an opera conductor in 2017 with Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto.
Johanna is a lecturer for thorough-bass and score reading at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich and was appointed organist at St. Peter’s church in Munich in 2016. Prizewinner of the prestigious “Prague Spring” International Music Competition she has played recitals in some of the most important venues.
Johanna studied in Munich conducting with Michael Glaeser, harpsichord with Christine Schornsheim, organ and church music with Bernhard Haas and Edgar Krapp. She won a scholarship of the German National Music Competition 2013 and was therefore admitted to the Bundesauswahl Konzerte Junger Kuenstler, a funding programme of Deutscher Musikrat.
In 2020 she was awarded the Bavarian Kunstfoerderpreis.