Canadian hornist, Dr. Kiirsi Maunula Johnson is the Horn Professor at the University of Akron, where she was recently the recipient of the 2023 ‘Outstanding Teaching’ award, from the Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences.

An active clinician, soloist, and chamber musician, she has performed and presented on national and international stages for the International Horn Society, Ohio Music Educators Conference (OMEA), International Women’s Brass Mentorship Program (IWBC), International Trumpet Guild (ITG), Kansas Music Educator Conference (KMEA), Music Fest Canada National Conference, and the CBDNA National Conference. As a featured soloist, she recently performed with the University of Akron Wind Symphony, and in the premiere of Michael Conway Baker’s ‘Remembrances’ solo horn and brass ensemble with the Memorial University Brass Ensemble in Newfoundland, Canada.

An advocate of underrepresented music, she is a founding member of the Conspiratus Brass duo, which celebrates the promotion and commission of new Canadian and American repertoire for the trumpet, horn, and piano. Together, they have commissioned half of the repertoire written for this instrumentation, and through generous grant support, they released their first album of newly commissioned works in April 2020. As an in-demand performer across the United States, she has recently performanced with the Canton Symphony, Youngstown Symphony, Mobile Symphony, Wichita Grand Opera, and Tallahassee Symphony. A native of Northern Ontario, Canada, Kiirsi has also been an active freelancer throughout Ontario, performing with the Windsor Symphony, Orchestra London, the Thunder Bay Symphony, Guelph Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Wind Orchestra and the National Academy Orchestra.

Recent masterclasses and workshops include the annual Horn Day at the University of Akron featuring guest artists Nick Hartman, Olivia Esther, and Scott Leger. and regional workshop presentations on 'How-to Build Your Horn Section', ‘Real-world Freelancing,’ ‘Canadian Solo Horn Repertoire,’ and ‘Performance Preparation.' In 2009, she took part in a historic DVD project with Frank Battisti, Donald Hunsberger and H. Robert Reynolds. The production included a performance at the International Conference of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, and a CD/DVD recording.

Kiirsi graduated with her Doctorate of Music from the Florida State University. She holds her Master of Music degree with a cognate in Arts Administration from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and her Bachelor of Music in Horn Performance from Western Univeristy, (University of Western Ontario). Her primary horn teachers include Randy Gardner, Michelle Stebleton, Derek Conrod, Ron George, Duane Dugger and Neil Deland.

Kiirsi is also on faculty at the College of Wooster and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. She previously served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Horn at the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam), and on faculty at Florida A&M University, Troy University (AL).