David Johnson is a composer and violinist in Southern California. He has taught at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington and Mercer University's Townsend School of Music in Macon, Georgia, where he was chair of theory and composition as well as concertmaster of the Macon Symphony Orchestra.

Born and raised in California's High Desert, he completed a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance and composition at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. At Yale, he earned an MM in composition, and went on to receive a DM in composition from Indiana University.

Some of David's recent commissions have included an oboe piece for the 36th annual conference of the International Double Reed Society, a concert overture celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Macon Symphony, and a piano trio for the Rothko Trio. Recently, his Gnomus for brass choir was premiered by the University of Puget Sound Brass Ensemble, and the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra performed Overture XX for large orchestra, a commission in honor of their 20th anniversary.