Joanna Porter is a native of Lenoir, North Carolina, and began her oboe studies at Appalachian State University.  Joanna holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, and completed further study as a full scholarship recipient in the Continuing Education program at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow, Scotland.  Her teachers include Alicia Chapman, Jane Marvine, and Stephane Rancourt, and she has performed in masterclasses for John Mack, Joseph Robinson, and Katherine Needleman.

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Joanna joined the Piedmont Wind Symphony in 2010 and also performs regularly with the Winston-Salem Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, and Fayetteville Symphony. As an arts administrator, Joanna has worked for Scottish Opera (Scotland's national opera company), Eastern Music Festival, and the Wake Forest University Department of Music.

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In December 2015 Joanna completed a Master of Library Science degree, graduating Summa Cum Laude from North Carolina Central University. She is based in Winston-Salem where she enjoys making music with her friends and spending time with her husband and three young children.