Emma Johnson is one of the few clarinettists to have established a career as a solo performer which has taken her to venues all over the world. Emma grew up in London and her career was launched when at the age of 17 she won BBC Young Musicians in front of a television audience of 12 million, followed by the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York.

A passionate advocate of the clarinet as a solo instrument, Emma has commissioned new works from composers such as Sir John Dankworth, Sir Michael Berkeley and Jonathan Dove. More recently she has again turned her attention to education, and in 2024 established the Emma Johnhson Music Foundation, which aims to advance the understanding of music, in particular of orchestral instruments, among young people in the UK, by providing educational workshops and concerts in schools, along with bursaries for disadvantaged children, so that every child can benefit from learning a musical instrument.