Alumni Award Given to Long-Time School of Music Supporters
University Alumni Distinguished Service Award
Dr. John G. Johnstone (PhD, musicology, 1984)
Zoe Johnstone (honorary alumna)
Jack and Zoe met as music students at San Jose State University and have always shared an interest in contemporary music. In 1979, they moved to Columbus from California so that Jack could pursue a PhD in musicology at Ohio State.
For the more than 30 years they have lived in Columbus, the Johnstones have developed an international company in the heart of the Short North and, through volunteerism and generous financial support, have helped transform the area into a vibrant cultural district. The community improvement projects they have had a hand in over the years can be seen all around the Short North and Central Ohio.
In 2000, they established the Johnstone Award for Excellence in Musicology as an endowment fund for the School of Music. The award provides $2,000 each year to an Ohio State musicology graduate student selected by School of Music faculty.
In 2006, Jack, a bassoonist with the Upper Arlington Community Orchestra, and Zoe worked with Ohio State woodwind faculty to create the Johnstone Woodwind Master Series. This annual event celebrates the exemplary work of the woodwind faculty and enhances the School of Music’s curriculum by bringing eminent teachers and performers to campus; highlighting newly commissioned works by recognized composers; encouraging and performing student compositions for woodwinds; and recognizing the contributions of Ohio woodwind teachers.
In 2007, Jack and Zoe established the Johnstone Fund for New Music at the Columbus Foundation. Designed to generate new collaborations between local composers and musicians and to introduce new music to wider audiences, the fund offers grants to commission new art music, which includes contemporary classical music, some forms of jazz, and dance. The Fund for New Music provides support for performances by Ohio State’s New Music Collective, an ensemble of student and faculty musicians; ensembles in the university’s dance department; and new works for the School of Music’s annual Contemporary Music Festival.
The generosity of Jack and Zoe Johnstone has created the most exciting and successful stimulus to the support of new concert music in the cultural history of Columbus and Central Ohio. They are committed to invigorating the learning experience and to advancing the energy and creativity of the faculty and students in the School of Music.
"We have longstanding, personal, and increasingly urgent devotion to new music. Why? Because it shows us that integrity, hard work, and common purpose make a difference in life. The faculty, staff, and students of the School of Music embody these qualities through their composing, teaching, and performance."
