Jennifer Johnston

I’m so shocked to hear of your death, Christopher. We met briefly in Munich when I revived George Benjamin’s opera Written on Skin, and your bright energy was utterly engaging. Your warmth, fun and clear talent shone at every moment and I can’t believe your light has been extinguished so soon. RIP

I met Chris in Munich. I was walking from the S-Bahn from the airport with two big suitcases. It had started snowing heavily and Chris, seeing me struggling to cross the road in time, came over to help me. During our short walk to my godfather’s apartment, where I was staying, we realised Chris and…

I only met Christopher a few times, through my aunt Rebecca, but it was immediately clear what a wonderful person he was. Most recently – December 2019 – we had breakfast in London with my Italian relatives, and I remember thinking ‘this man is so nice… like seriously 𝒔𝒐 nice!’ Earlier in 2019, after a bad…

I met Zeke in my sophomore year at Dartmouth through my friends Alexia Huffman and Peter Verovsek at the Amarna house. I was always in awe of him and the charismatic splendor and gregariousness he brought to every space he inhabited. Whether that be conducting a robust orchestra of young musicians at the lakeside retreat…

I’m in total shock after the terrible news that Chris has left us. We’ve worked together at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. Chris’s smile, positivity, kindness were always so heart warming. We hadn’t been in touch in years, when he randomly wrote me about a month ago to congratulate me on a performance he had…

What a tremendous loss. Zeke’s smile and personality lit up the room. I met Zeke when he was giving a guest lecture for an opera class at Dartmouth that I happened to be sitting in on. His passion for music was immediately apparent. I admired how he wanted everyone to experience the joys of live…