About
Joanna Clare is a well-respected Irish fiddler and violinist who began with the Suzuki method of learning the violin before studying with Sligo fiddle master, Brian Conway. She has won five Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil titles in fiddle tunes, slow airs, and newly composed tunes, and in 2021 she was awarded runner-up for the senior fiddle slow airs competition at the FleadhFest in Sligo. Joanna has performed at numerous festivals, including the Syracuse Irish Festival, the Rochester Irish Festival, the Maryland Irish Festival, the Maryland Folk Festival, the New York Trad Fest, and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. She is certified to teach violin with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and teaches Suzuki violin and Irish fiddle lessons both in person and virtually. She also assists in teaching The Great Groove Band, a children’s pick-up band at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. As a teacher, Joanna prioritizes physical technique to direct her students’ playing and emphasizes “what to do,” but more importantly, “how to do it.” She was trained and certified by the Suzuki Association of the Americas to teach Suzuki Books 1 and 2.