Shersten Johnson

Dr. Shersten Johnson is Professor of Music and Director of Film Studies at the University of St. Thomas, where she chairs the Music Department. She teaches across the music theory and composition curriculum while researching contemporary opera, embodied cognition, and accessible music pedagogy.

Research investigates:

• Operatic representations of violence and trauma
• Disability perspectives in music analysis
• Embodied cognition in musical experience
• Universal design in music education

Publications include award-winning pedagogical works and analyses of 20th-century opera. Her scholarship has been presented internationally across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. She earned her PhD from University of Wisconsin-Madison with dual specialization in music theory and composition.