Joanna McDonald - composer,guitarist, jazz dancer

Joanna McDonald is a composer, guitarist, and jazz dancer whose work explores how movement, visual stimulation, and sound can intersect to shape storytelling and auditory experience. Her interdisciplinary practice has led to projects ranging from concert music and film to collaborative performances and exhibitions.

Joanna was a resident of the Luna Composition Lab, where she received the Sydney Striker Fellowship for her mixed-ensemble piece Peace. She was also awarded first place in the Oklahoma City University Classical Guitar Competition. Her music has been commissioned by ensembles and institutions including the Virtual Guitar Orchestra (VGO) in partnership with the Augustine String Foundation, San Francisco Girls Chorus, the May Festival for its 25th anniversary, and Rice University for its 111th Commencement Ceremony.

Her interest in the relationship between sound and visual experience has also led her to create short films incorporating electronic and acoustic music, including Decomposing and Blossoming Thirds. In 2024, she curated an interdisciplinary concert and exhibition featuring these works and collaborated with gardeners, birders, technicians, vocalists, and performers. Through these projects, Joanna continues to investigate how music can extend beyond the auditory to create immersive, multi-sensory forms of storytelling.

This recital is generously sponsored by VWMS member Tony Roper.