Katie Geringer - Managing Co-Director, Fiddle Instructor, and Group Band Leader

Katie Geringer is a classical violinist turned Irish fiddler based in Houston, TX. An initial departure from her classical training led Katie down a path of performing bluegrass and old-time music in north Florida and around the southeast where she grew up. Once acclimated to the folk music world, she quickly gravitated towards Irish music and began listening, learning, and imitating as much as she could from recordings of notable players in the genre. 
 
Katie attended Florida State University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Certificate of Violin Performance. After teaching public school orchestra for several years, Katie’s love of Irish music led her to Ireland where she attended the University of Limerick and completed a master’s degree in Traditional Irish Music Performance. While in Ireland, Katie competed in the Limerick County Fleadh and was awarded first place in the senior division. Most recently, Katie has toured the northeast and mid-west US as the fiddle player for a dance production by Dublin Irish Dance.
 
A passionate, thoughtful, and in-demand teacher, Katie has enjoyed teaching in a variety of settings like summer camps, in-school Irish music workshops, a collegiate Irish Ensemble at Florida State University, the Houston School of Irish Music, the Gulf Coast Cruinniú, and the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat. She has also presented at the American String Teacher’s Association national conference on teaching Irish music authentically in the classroom. Katie is certified to teach the Rolland Method (Level 1), a teaching method that uses healthy, relaxed movement to promote ease and fluidity in string playing, and maintains an active private studio of both classical and Irish fiddle students. 
 
"In my experience, there are very few people who can embody and navigate traditional and classical musics in a successful and nuanced way, particularly on the fiddle/violin. Katie Geringer is one of the rare exceptions to this. She has a great understanding and mastery of Irish traditional music, and is a thoughtful and creative practitioner. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear her!” -Sandra Joyce, Irish World Academy

Katie can be reached at katie@hsoim.org

Mark Johnson - Managing Co-Director, Guitar, Bodhrán, Flute and Whistle Instructor

Mark has played Irish music on guitar, bodhrán, flute and whistle for over 35 years as member of Houston’s eclectic Wyndnwyre. He has played at the North Texas Irish Festival, Houston Highland Games, Mississippi Celtic Festival, the Houston International Festival and with the local medieval ensemble, Istanpitta. He has been a backing guitarist for Skip Healy, Tim Britton and Turlach Boylan.  Mark has studied with Irish flute players Chris Norman, Frankie Kennedy, Kevin Crawford and Steph Geramia. He was the featured guitarist on Larry Mallette’s 1998 album, ‘Til Time Is No More and Corrin Evans’ fiddle album The Leakey Otter. Mark has played multiple instruments on five albums with Wyndnwyre and on Christmas Presence, an album of Irish and Celtic Christmas music with harpist Therese Honey. 

Mark is a retired Technical Advisor for the Houston office of a major international oil company and has a B.S in Civil Technology from the University of Houston. 

Mark can be reached at mark@hsoim.org.

Larry Mallette - Director Emeritus, Flute and Whistle Instructor

Larry is a fourth-generation Irish-American, great-great grandson of Thomas Farrell and Katherine McKenna Farrell, who left Ireland in 1849. Larry holds both an M.D. degree and a Ph.D. in Physiology from Vanderbilt University. He taught medical school and did medical research for twenty-four years at Baylor College of Medicine. He also served on several medical advisory boards and later practiced Endocrinology privately for twelve years. 

Larry has been playing Irish whistles and flutes since 1991. He has performed at the Carolan Harp Festival in Keadue, Co. Roscommon, the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the Mississippi Celtic Festival, the Chicago Celtic Festival, the Houston International Festival, and with The Chieftains at the Winspear Opera House, Dallas. He is a founding member of The Jig Is Up!, Houston’s traditional Irish band. He has released two recording: A Stroll In The Park, a solo flute album of original and traditional tunes and‘Til Time Is No More, an album of traditional Irish and original tunes and Irish songs, on which several top Houston area musicians collaborated, including four other Houston School of Irish Music instructors. He has taught whistle and flute workshops at the North Texas Irish Festival, the Mississippi Celtic Festival and the Summer Acoustic Music Festival in Houston.

You can reach Larry at larry@hsoim.org

Brian Shaw - Mandolin and Banjo

Brian has played stringed instruments since the early 1980s, including decades of playing rock and blues guitar.  He grew up in an extended musical family of bluegrassers who included music in all family gatherings.  Brian can be heard playing guitar in recordings by the rock band ‘el smasho’ and mandolin and banjo on recordings by the old time  bands ‘ContraDiction’ and ‘The Brazos Bottom Boys’. He has played Irish music for 15 years and is a regular in the Houston and College Station sessions scenes.

In his spare time, Brian Shaw is a professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Shaw conducts research on fungi. He is a professional educator who teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on fungal biology for more than 20 years.

Matthew Lewis - Bodhrán, Guitar, Flute, and Whistle Instructor

Matthew Lewis is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and a dedicated teacher of traditional Irish music. A founding member of the former Houston-based band The Jig Is Up! and a current member of Hup!, Matthew has been an active performer and advocate for Irish music throughout Texas and beyond.

In 2025, Matthew was awarded 1st place on bodhrán at the Midwest Fleadh Cheoil, a recognition of his skill and deep understanding of rhythm within the Irish music tradition.

At the Houston School of Irish Music, Matthew primarily teaches bodhrán, but also teaches guitar, flute, and whistle. His teaching style emphasizes strong foundational technique, musicality, and a joyful connection to the tradition. He is especially passionate about helping students of all levels and ages find their own voice within the music.