Johanna Yarbrough

Assistant Professor of Horn

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Biography

Johanna Yarbrough joined the Louisiana State University music faculty as the Julian R. & Sidney Nicolle Caruth Assistant Professor of French Horn in 2024. Prior to her appointment at LSU, she was a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra beginning in 2012.

While a member of the DSO, Johanna actively pursued educational opportunities, including her role as an adjunct horn instructor at Wayne State University. In 2020, she co-created the DSO’s Summer Institute, a fully online summer music festival. She has also served as a judge for the university division of the International Horn Competition of America (IHCA) and frequently tours the country presenting masterclasses and recitals at universities and conservatories. 

Johanna has won many prestigious awards, including first prize of the 2009 University division of the IHCA. She has appeared as a soloist with the DSO on numerous occasions. She was a member of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon , where she performed for three weeks each year between 2014-2022 under the direction of Teddy Abrams. She has performed with several renowned orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Grand Teton Music Festival, Festival Mozaik, and the Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival, and she is a member of the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings.

Johanna completed her graduate studies with a professional studies certificate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. Prior to her time in LA, Johanna attended the University of Alabama, where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree. She also studied abroad at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, Norway with famed horn pedagogue, Frøydis Ree Wekre. Johanna’s other principal teachers include David Krehbiel, Andrew Bain, Charles “Skip” Snead, and Michelle Stebleton. Johanna was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida and now resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.