The Johnston String Quartet was formed in September 1998 at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester when its founder members were undergraduate students. Having graduated, the quartet are now Junior Fellows at the RNCM. They work regularly with Christopher Rowland, Director of Chamber Music at the RNCM, and have received coachings and Master Classes from Milan Skampa, Michael Bochmann, members of the Endellion, Vermeer, Sorrel, Nossek and the Belcea quartet.

They have twice been resident string quartet at the Britten Pears School where they worked closely with Hugh Maguire, and were subsequently invited to take part in the International Academy for string quartets to learn with the Ysaye string quartet. Since 1998, they have won several chamber music prizes at the RNCM, and in March 2001, they represented the RNCM at the 28th international week at the University of Music and Dramatic arts in Gratz, Austria.

They have appeared extensively throughout the UK and have performed in Haydn- and Beethoven festivals, the Aldeburgh festival, and Schubertfest 2002, where they performed Schubert string quintet with Ralph Kirshbaum. In January 2003, they took part in Mendelssohnfest, notably playing the string octet with the Endellion Quartet, and in April, they won the second prize and the Sydney Griller prize in the 9th international London String quartet competition.

The quartet consists of Magnus Johnston, Donald Grant, Martin Saving and Marie Bitlloch.
To contact the Johnston Quartet