Joanna Sternberg

Joanna Sternberg

Joanna Sternberg is a New York City-born and based singer-songwriter, musician and visual artist. Sternberg identifies as gender neutral and uses they/them pronouns. They are Jewish.

Early life and training

Sternberg begins playing music in childhood. At the age of two, they hum the full melody of “Oh What A Merry Christmas Day” from Mickey’s Christmas Carol at a Passover seder. Their parents send them to piano lessons at five. At 11, Sternberg teaches themself guitar and electric bass. They attend LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and start studying double bass in their first year there.

Sternberg receives a full scholarship to Mannes College of Music, where they study classical double bass for a year and a half. They then leave school and spend about a year and a half at home drawing comics. Sternberg later completes a double bass performance degree at The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music, also on a full scholarship.

Career

Sternberg has worked as a freelance musician and visual artist since the age of 18. At 23, they begin writing songs and learn to sing. By 24, they start singing in public while accompanying themself on different instruments. They continue to write songs, sing, play instruments and make visual art.

Style

Sternberg does not like using genre labels to describe their work, although their music is identified as indie folk.