Percussionist
    PhD Candidate at Monash University
        Pre-Tertiary and Tertiary Tutor

Niki Johnson is a contemporary percussionist and composer-performer whose musical practice incorporates interdisciplinary collaboration and artistic research. As an interdisciplinary collaborator she works with sculptors, sound designers, musicians, fine artists, and theatre-makers to create instrumental sculptures and performances. A key collaboration is Shock Lines, a trio comprising glass artist, percussion, and sound design that works across installation, performance and musical composition. Their self-titled work features suspended glass-sandstone sculptures, live percussive performance, and immersive surround sound, including performances at Canberra Glassworks for the Canberra International Music Festival. Another key collaboration is her vibraphone composition and performance in HOSSEI’s theatre, fashion, and performance art works including ESSSENSSSE (2022), THUNDERBLOOM-LIVE (2024), and Too~B (2025). She has been commissioned to compose and perform solo percussion works for the Sydney Opera House Play Space, Sydney Powerhouse Museum and Art Gallery of New South Wales, and is a current PhD candidate at Monash University. As a freelancing percussionist she has regularly recorded and performed for the ABC, Sydney Opera House, Phoenix Central Park, and Trackdown Fox studios.

Niki Johnson lives and works in Warrang/Sydney on unceded Cammeraygal and Gadigal land, and in Naarm/Melbourne on the unceded land of the Eastern Kulin Nation. She acknowledges all First Peoples of these lands and recognizes and respects their enduring art, connections to Country, and knowledge.