What would Beethoven sound like on a dark and rickety corner stage, accompanied by voices, smoke and the tinkle of ice in a cocktail glass?
Flutist and composer Julie Johnson has explored these genre-bending questions through her work, and will bring her vision to Bemidji State University for a free April 17 solo recital.
Johnson will perform her work on the electrified flute and bass flute at 7:30 p.m. in the Thompson Recital Hall of BSU’s Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex; the recital is free and open to everyone.
• Listen to Julie Johnson online: http://www.julieflute.net/listen/
“I am passionate about working to break down walls of genre and venue by choosing pieces from different genres that speak to each other in important ways, then bringing them together with my own sound and approach,” Johnson said. “Sharp divisions between musical genres hurt not only artists, who want their music to develop, but listeners, too, whose minds and hearts ought to be allowed to grow as well.”
About Julie Johnson
Julie Johnson has brought her talent and love for the flute to almost every type of venue and genre imaginable. Performing classical, jazz, blues and world music in concert halls, cathedrals, horse barns and jazz clubs, her work has shown that there is a place for the flute in everything.
Instructing mostly junior high and high school students, Johnson incorporates a wide variety of musical styles and techniques into teaching and playing. She experiments with new ways to play the flute and is passionate about the idea of breaking down walls of genre between performers and audiences. She uncovers relationships between pieces from disparate genres and brings them together with her own distinct sound and approach.
Johnson has played with the Rome Festival Orchestra and the Duluth/Superior Orchestra, and in 2005 she performed at the Fete de la Flute in Menton, France. She has also performed with the American Composers Forum, on the Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series and as a featured performer with the Minnesota Chorale. She also performs with her band, Julie Johnson & the No-Accounts, on a regular basis.
The Graceton, Minn., native attended Lake of the Woods High School in Baudette. While in high school, she studied flute with Susan Nelson, BSU adjunct instructor in music, through the Region 2 Arts Council’s Artist Mentor program. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Augsburg College and has studied privately at Conservatoire d’Antibes in Antibes, France.
Contact
• Susan Nelson, adjunct instructor in music, Bemidji State University; (218) 755-3364
• Laura Holm, BSU Department of Music; (218) 755-2915
Links
• Julie Johnson
• Johnson’s bio at the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association