Joanna Becker, violin and viola
Houston-based violinist Joanna Becker loves to connect with others through her wide ranging, stylistically sensitive performances and her creative teaching approach. As a violinist, she is especially dedicated to performing newly written music in a number of genres and to exploring the historical performance practice of older repertoire.
Joanna is a longtime member of La Speranza, Houston’s preeminent chamber ensemble performing Baroque and Classical repertoire on period instruments. She has been a core member of the Texas New Music Ensemble since 2014, premiering dozens of works by Texas based composers, and with which she made her Houston conducting debut at the Texas New Music Festival in 2024. Sought after as a collaborator in the recording studio and on stage, she can be heard with folk rock, neoclassical and ambient artists. She performs regularly on Baroque and Classical violin with Houston-based period ensembles Mercury and Ars Lyrica.
As a teacher, Joanna draws inspiration from the Suzuki approach as well as her own traditional training, and has a special interest in early childhood education. As the violin instructor at the Bayou Village School in Houston, she developed a unique program integrating violin instruction into the Waldorf-Steiner curriculum. She also teaches violin privately in Houston.
Originally from the east coast, Joanna earned her BA in musicology from Yale University, where she also studied conducting and was the director of several new music ensembles and theater productions. She completed additional graduate work in Music History at the City University of New York. She earned her MM in violin performance from the Shepherd School at Rice University where she studied with Sergiu Luca and Ken Goldsmith. She currently lives in Kingwood with her husband and two boys.
Joanna is a longtime member of La Speranza, Houston’s preeminent chamber ensemble performing Baroque and Classical repertoire on period instruments. She has been a core member of the Texas New Music Ensemble since 2014, premiering dozens of works by Texas based composers, and with which she made her Houston conducting debut at the Texas New Music Festival in 2024. Sought after as a collaborator in the recording studio and on stage, she can be heard with folk rock, neoclassical and ambient artists. She performs regularly on Baroque and Classical violin with Houston-based period ensembles Mercury and Ars Lyrica.
As a teacher, Joanna draws inspiration from the Suzuki approach as well as her own traditional training, and has a special interest in early childhood education. As the violin instructor at the Bayou Village School in Houston, she developed a unique program integrating violin instruction into the Waldorf-Steiner curriculum. She also teaches violin privately in Houston.
Originally from the east coast, Joanna earned her BA in musicology from Yale University, where she also studied conducting and was the director of several new music ensembles and theater productions. She completed additional graduate work in Music History at the City University of New York. She earned her MM in violin performance from the Shepherd School at Rice University where she studied with Sergiu Luca and Ken Goldsmith. She currently lives in Kingwood with her husband and two boys.