Ms. Joanna Clare

Joanna Clare, who hails from Central New York, is a acclaimed Irish fiddler and violinist and recently released her debut album, To Keep the Candle Burning. It features multiple Irish musicians and a dancer who are all highly involved in the Mid-Atlantic Irish music scene. To Keep the Candle Burning is dedicated to the many traditional Irish musicians who inspired her throughout her childhood. The album is comprised of traditional tunes she learned either directly from these musicians or from their recordings, as well as some newly composed tunes. Joanna has won numerous awards for her talents as a fiddler and as a composer (or tunesmith as she prefers to call herself). Most recently, she qualified to represent the United States in the 2023 All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Mullingar, where she will be competing in O18 Fiddle Slow Airs. Joanna recently relocated back to Baltimore where she earned her degree in materials science and engineering with a music minor from Johns Hopkins University. She teaches classical violin and Irish fiddle lessons online and in person and helps teach a children’s pick-up band at multiple events run by the Philadelphia Folk Songs Society. Joanna has performed at NYSSMA Conference All-State, The Springwater Fiddlers’ Fair, The Syracuse Irish Festival, The Rochester Irish Festival, The Maryland Irish Festival, The New York Trad Fest, The Philadelphia Folk Festival, and The Friendly Gathering. Check out her website: www.joannaclare.com.