Jeri Lynne Johnson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jeri Lynne Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1972 (age 53–54) |
| Occupation | conductor |
| Member of | Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra |
Jeri Lynne Johnson (born 1972[1]) is an African-American female conductor. She is the Founder and artistic director of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, a professional ensemble in Philadelphia.
Johnson started piano lessons at the age of four.[2] Her interest in orchestral literature and creating large-scale music beyond the piano developed after attending a performance of a Beethoven Symphony when she was seven years old.[2]
She lived in several places during her youth, attended two high schools and graduated her senior year in Scottsdale, Arizona.[2] Although Johnson did not have a formal music education in school, she had outside piano teachers.[2] She then went on to study at Wellesley College in 1993 where she received a bachelor's degree in music and religion.[2] At this all female school, she was inspired by women graduates such as Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright.[2] She later received a master's degree in music history and music theory from the University of Chicago.[2]