Julie Johnson, Flutist

Julie Johnson is a fiscal year 2008 recipient of an Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. 

Julie Johnson began playing the flute at the age of 10 in Graceton, MN, a small town on the Canadian border. At 15, an Artist-Mentor scholarship gave her the opportunity to study with Susan Nelson, professor of flute at Bemidji State University. At Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN, she studied with Trudi Anderson, and played principal flute in both the orchestra and band. She was also a two-time winner of the Concerto/Aria Competition, and served as principal flute of the Minnesota Inter-Collegiate Honor Band under the direction of Frederick Fenell.

In 1999, Julie served as co-principal flute of the Rome Festival Orchestra, having received a Career Opportunity Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to spend a month in Italy performing there. She has also performed with the Minnesota Chorale, the Duluth/Superior Orchestra, the Metropolitan Orchestra of Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Civic Orchestra. She has served as Artist-in-Residence at Patrick Henry High School, St. Francis Middle School, and the Minneapolis Jewish Day School. She recorded the Native American flute parts for the documentary Return to the Circle. She also recorded a CD entitled Haystacke, a recording of her own Native American compositions.

While living in Austin, TX, Julie performed with the Austin Flute Choir, served as principal flute of the Balcones Orchestra, and was a guest soloist with the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble. She also performed with many Texas blues bands, including the Allen Daniels Band, Trent Turner and the Moontowers, the Texcelerators, and Dede Priest.

In the spring of 2004, she was invited to study with Sibel Kumru-Pensel, a former student of Jean Pierre Rampal, in Antibes, France. She was a featured soloist in two chamber recitals and was accepted into the Conservatoire de Musique et d’Art d’Antibes. She returned to France in the spring of 2005 to play at the Fete de la Flute in Menton. She has also studied with the French flutists Aurel Nicolet, Maxence Larrieu, Guy Cottin, and Jean Pinet.

Currently, Julie performs all over the Twin Cities with the Gerard-Johnson Duo and freelances with many orchestras, chamber groups, blues bands, and jazz groups. She has been a featured performer at the American Composers Forum’s monthly salon concerts in St. Paul. She has been a performer on the Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series and performs as a soloist on the Thursday Musical Artist Series. She was also a semi-finalist for the 2007-2008 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians. She teaches at MacPhail Center for Music, Mount Olivet School of Music, Westbank School of Music and St. Paul Conservatory of Music.