Pianist, born in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. One of the leading American pianists of his time, he made his New York debut in 1944 and thereafter performed internationally, particularly with the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra. He taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music from 1974 to 1985.
Grant Johannesen (July 30, 1921 – March 27, 2005) was an American concert pianist.
He was born in Salt Lake City and discovered at the age of five by an irate teacher who lived across the street.
He studied with Robert Casadesus, Roger Sessions, and Nadia Boulanger.
He toured extensively, both with the New York Philharmonic under Dmitri Mitropoulos, and as a solo performer.
He was known as an interpreter of French piano music and recorded the complete piano works of Gabriel Fauré.
He served as director of the Cleveland Institute of Music from 1974 to 1985.
Johannesen was married to the composer Helen Taylor (whose works for piano were among his recordings)from 1943 until her death in an automobile accident in 1950.
He died at the age of 83 in Germany, where he had been visiting friends. In their obituaries, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Associated Press, citing his lifelong friend Elisabeth von Rummelhoff, reported that he died in Berlin.
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