Cecilia Johnson, violin & viola

Cecilia Johnson cejohnson@bex.net teaches violin, viola, and directs the String Ensemble at Adrian College. She earned her B.M. and M.M. in violin performance, B.A. in music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, studying violin with Jens Ellerman and Makoto Kaneshiro. She has extensive orchestra experience, having performed for many years with the Toledo Symphony, the West Virginia Symphony (including its 50th anniversary Kennedy Center performance), the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra (principal second violin during‘91-92 season). Currently, she serves as concertmaster of Toledo’s Sono Novo Chamber Orchestra and the Ballet Theatre of Toledo Orchestra. She also serves as principal second violin for the Lakeside Summer Symphony. Ms. Johnson performs regularly in her role as first violinist of Toledo’s Scandia String Quartet. This ensemble recently collaborated in performance with pianist, Sandra Rivers of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory faculty, The Scandia Quartet has also involved itself recording for rock/jazz groups and by collaborating with artists on a variety of creative projects. In 2008, Ms. Johnson was asked to join the Walenstein Symphony of Miami, Florida, a three-tiered, racially diverse orchestra designed to join professionals with those training for a career in music.  Ms. Johnson is the founder and co-director of CYMBAL (Community Youth Motivated By Arts Learning), an arts-based after-school program for the children of Toledo’s central city. She serves on the part-time faculty of the University of Toledo and previously taught at Siena Heights University. Ms. Johnson is the program director of Toledo’s Euterpean Club, a music service and performing organization. She frequently performs chamber music with her husband tenor Erik Johanson, and enjoys supporting their daughter Linnea (born 1994) in her dancing, musical, and creative endeavors.