Johanna Yarbrough is a horn player and educator whose mentorship of the next generation centers on creating musical space in which everyone can belong. Johanna spent thirteen years as a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and can be heard on more than a dozen recording projects with the group, including two Grammy-nominated records. She was formerly a member of the Britt Festival Orchestra and remains an ongoing member of the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra.

An in-demand orchestral freelancer, she has performed with groups such as the Dallas Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the National Symphony Orchestra, as well as major music festival orchestras. She has also appeared in orchestral settings alongside contemporary artists including Esperanza Spalding, The Who, Ben Folds, and Eminem. An accomplished soloist, Johanna has been recognized with a variety of honors, from winning first prize at the 2009 International Horn Competition of America (IHCA) in the University division, to being awarded first prize at the Berlin Classical Competition and silver medal at the Global Music Awards for solo performances of Kevin Day’s concerto Windborne in 2025. Her solo playing has been featured with ensembles such as the Louisiana State University Symphony, the Michigan State University Wind Symphony, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Johanna was recently appointed Associate Professor of Horn at Michigan State University. She was previously on faculty at Louisiana State University and Wayne State University. She won competitive faculty grants in both positions, and has taught extensively in masterclass, coaching, and recitalist capacities at conservatories, workshops, and festivals nationwide, including the Oberlin Conservatory, the International Women’s Brass Conference, Great Lakes Music Festival, and Peabody Institute, among others. Throughout her career, she has consistently championed opportunities for youth music access and advancement, including through her work co-creating the DSO Summer Institute — a fully-online music festival — and regularly participating in side-by-side ensemble clinics and classroom visits. Johanna’s passion for cultivating student growth through empowering pedagogies of individual authenticity is a hallmark of her educational practice.

Johanna has established a visible professional presence in the field as an organizational leader and contributor. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the International Horn Competition of America (IHCA), for which she was formerly a judge in the University category. She has previously served as a column editor for The Horn Call, the International Horn Society’s triannual journal. She is also active in expanding the brass repertoire through the commissioning of new works from living composers.

Johanna completed her graduate studies at The Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, California with principal players David Krehbiel and Andrew Bain, earning a Professional Studies Certificate. Prior to that, she studied at the University of Alabama as a member of the renowned “Bama Horns” studio led by Charles “Skip” Snead, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music. She has further studied with Michelle Stebleton and renowned pedagogue Frøydis Ree Wekre. A native of Tallahassee, Florida, she currently resides in East Lansing, Michigan.