The musical couple got hitched at the Perlman estate in East Hampton, N.Y. and made a brief stop in Dayton recently to search for a house before flying to Hawaii for their honeymoon.
“Living in Dayton will be sort of a culture-shock,” said Perlman during the couple’s recent stroll through the Schuster Center. “We’ve lived in a lot of places. We were in Hawaii for a bit, we went to school in Houston, I lived in L.A.
“But I told Rob it doesn’t matter where we are because my family’s in New York and we’ll always be able to go and see them.”
Johnson and Perlman met in 2002 when they were in high school. They began dating during their freshman year at Rice University. The relationship took on another dimension when Johnson converted to Judaism in 2008.
“It was just something I knew I wanted to do,” Johnson told Marshal Weiss of the Dayton Jewish Observer. “I didn’t know when and I didn’t know how it was going to happen. The more I learned, the more I was attracted.”
After honeymooning in Hawaii, the couple will pause in Dayton long enough to close on their house. Then, it’s off to Europe for the summer.
“We put in a bid on a home and it was accepted,” Johnson said. “When we get back from our honeymoon we’ll be in Dayton for three days. After that we go to Europe for five weeks. I’ll be working in Austria doing some operas. We’ll get back in Dayton in August and I’ll start preparing for DPO’s 2009-2010 season.”
As the new principal horn player, Johnson has signed on to a demanding DPO schedule of solo, chamber and orchestral performances throughout the Miami Valley.
“I’m absolutely excited about my new position,” Johnson said. “I’m beside myself to be here and we’re blessed and thankful.”
While her husband is doing his thing with the Philharmonic, Perlman plans to use her time wisely.
“I did a lot of teaching,” said Perlman who will keep her last name. “I love working with kids and teaching privately. I’m trying to make connections now. I know the bands around here have fantastic reputations so I’m hoping to find some students and maybe do some gigging. I also make jewelry so once we get settled, I’ll set up my studio.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2167 or kmoss@DaytonDailyNewscom.
About the Author