Josanne Francis

Appointed Fall 2024

Award-winning steelpan musician and educator Josanne Francis engages a cross-section of styles, including traditional calypso, jazz, Indian and European classical. She has collaborated with renowned artists such as Etienne Charles, Jon Batiste, David Rudder and Andy Narell, and has appeared with the Michigan Philharmonic and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She has also graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center, Strathmore and Lincoln Center.

Josanne recently received her Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of Maryland with research interests in culturally-positioned community music. During her time as a UMD student, she placed second in the 2023 Concerto Competition, and won the 2024 Mabel S Spencer fellowship for excellence in Graduate Achievement. She also co-directed the 2023 groundbreaking Caribbean halftime show that featured a steelband and marching band collaboration on the field.

Josanne is a Maryland Center for Creative Classrooms teaching artist and offers annual summer training for Maryland music teachers. The Trinidad & Tobago native has garnered multiple grants, served on numerous panels, and headlined several festivals nationally and internationally, including the Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival in Haiti, the Smithsonian National Art Gallery's Jazz in the Garden Series and the National Folk Festival. She has delivered a TEDx presentation, co-created the thriving performance outfit Elite Pan Consortium and launched Steel on Wheels LLC, an educational program that provides accessible steelband and percussion education. She has also served as an Artist in Residence and Artist in Residence mentor at Strathmore Music Center.

In Prince George’s County and beyond, Josanne has been a community leader through her roles as Artistic Director and Executive Director at the Cultural Academy for Excellence, an arts-in-education program. Additionally, she served as a music teacher at the International High School at Langley Park, where she built a music program from scratch, coached track and field, and led the steelband.

At UMD, Josanne serves as the Lead Community Engagement Program Coordinator with the Office of the Provost's Center for Community Engagement, and is the founding steelbands director with the School of Music.