2024 Reynolds Conducting Institute Fellow

Meet Johnston Nguyen

Johnston Nguyen is a passionate music educator, conductor, and oboist. He is currently pursuing the Master of Music degree at California State University, Fullerton, where he studies instrumental conducting with Dr. Dustin Barr and oboe with Dr. Rong-Huey Liu. Nguyen is the inaugural recipient of the Alan V. Stang, PhD Endowed Scholarship for Instrumental Wind Conducting. Prior to graduate studies at CSUF, Nguyen was the Band Director at Palm Desert Charter Middle School in Palm Desert, CA where he taught Marching Band, Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Beginning Band, and Music Appreciation. At PDCMS, he successfully led students through numerous festivals, competitions, and community engagement events. In 2020, he presented along with Dr. Marc Dickey on “Demystifying Oboe and Bassoon Octave Keys” at the annual Southern California Band and Orchestra Association Conference. Nguyen completed his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, also at CSUF. As an undergraduate, he played in the Wind Symphony, Symphonic Winds, University Band, Symphony Orchestra, various chamber ensembles, and received the Willard and Virginia Dickey Instrumental Music Education Student Teacher Scholarship.