Berklee College of Music trumpeter Arnetta Johnson, class of 2016, is good at keeping secrets.
She performed with Beyoncé during the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, but won’t reveal anything about her experience with the star.
“I can’t talk about that,’’ Johnson answered when asked for details about what it was like to share the Levi’s Stadium field with the performer.
Johnson wouldn’t tell us how long ago she got the call to perform. She wouldn’t tell us how long she had to rehearse. All she’d say is that she got the gig through friends. Those friends might include Berklee instructor Tia?Fuller, who has toured with Beyoncé.
“Basically, it was networking. Word of mouth. I was in the right place at the right time,’’ Johnson said.
The trumpet player, who’s from Camden, N.J. (and happens to be a Colts fan), did tell us that the size of the crowd was overwhelming. She said she ran through the stadium tunnel only to be greeted by the screams of more than 70,000 people. It was the first time she’d ever been in a football stadium.
“I’ve just never seen that many people at once’’
Johnson said it helped to have the support of other Berklee musicians on the job. Alumni Taylor Gordon, Michel’le Baptiste, Patty Anne Miller, and Krystal Johnson were also part of Beyoncé’s formation. Johnson also said she was able to make some good contacts during the experience. “I personally believe that one gig will always lead to another,’’ she said.
Her upcoming gigs are with Fuller and Berklee percussion prof Terri Lyne Carrington.