Lavena Johanson

Cellist Lavena Johanson is a multifaceted musician who has performed throughout the United States and Canada. Her passion for chamber music has led to performances with esteemed artists such as Robert McDuffie, Mischa Dichter, Peter Wiley, Andres Diaz, Amy Schwartz Moretti, and Elizabeth Pridgen. Lavena is a member of the Atlas String Quartet, semifinalists in the 2014 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed new and recent works by Ted Hearne, Amy Beth Kirsten, Caroline Shaw and Anna Thorvaldsdottir on Baltimore's Evolution Contemporary Music Series. Lavena has also premiered two pieces written expressly for her by her husband, Judah Adashi, and is only the second cellist to have performed Michael Hersch's Second Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello; she will perform both of Hersch's unaccompanied sonatas in Baltimore next month. Most recently, Lavena toured as a cellist with the indie rock band Ra Ra Riot, playing to sold-out crowds at the 9:30 Club (Washington, DC), The House of Blues (Cleveland, OH), and Lincoln Hall (Chicago, IL). A native of Seattle, Lavena holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Robert McDuffie Center for Strings and a Master of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory. She plays on a cello made by Jason Viseltear (New York) and Robert Young (France) in 2005. More information is available at lavenajohanson.com.