About Anne
Anne Johnson has been playing and singing Irish music her whole life. She is also trained in classical music, and after receiving a master's degree in music theory and history, she realized she might be able to put these two passions together to help Irish traditional musicians have a better understanding of the music they play.
The early years
When Anne was a child in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, her parents introduced her to the albums of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. At 10 she started singing those songs and teaching herself guitar accompaniment. At 14 she was invited to sing some solo sets at Milwaukee's Irish Fest.
Anne has learned hundreds of songs from recordings by artists like Tríona Ni Dhomhnaill, Dolores Keane, Paddy Tunney, Andy M. Stewart, and Jarlath Henderson. For many years she gigged around the pubs and festivals of Wisconsin. She also plays tin whistle and fiddle.
The Big Apple
Whan Anne moved to New York, she studied classical music theory and history at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. She took a series of adjuct positions teaching those subjects at several New York City colleges. But she wanted to find away to teach music theory concepts to the Irish musicians she was meeting in sessions and at the Irish Arts Center in Manhattan. In 2019, Anne joined the IAC teaching faculty.