About

Fiddler and composer, Gwen Johnston, is known on both sides of the Atlantic for her ebullient yet deft playing and story-telling compositions. Currently based in Boston, her background in Irish, American, and English traditional music led her to Cornwall in 2025 where she is also part of the flourishing trad scenes in Falmouth, Penryn, and Pendeen. An active performer and session musician, she has taken the stage at prominent folk venues and festivals such as The Cobblestone, The Cornish Bank, Sidmouth Fringe Festival, and the 2026 Belfast Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, and collaborated with artists such as Joshua Burnside, Seán McKenna, Sara Grey, Sweet Brother Luke, Isaac I. Ockenden, Drolls, and Tealeaf. 

Her debut album, “Onwards” (2026),  is a transatlantic, live-recorded album of original and traditional tunes, soundscapes, and arrangements representing Gwen’s journey from Massachusetts to Cornwall. Recorded in New Bedford, MA and Falmouth, UK, the album is mixed and produced by Tom Trant, Co-founder of the Gool Gwerin Aberfal Festival and founding member of the Penryn based band, Tealeaf.