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Joanna McDonald

Joanna McDonald

Joanna McDonald (age 22) is a composer from Tulsa, Oklahoma who is currently a senior at Rice University, majoring in music composition. She first began composing lyrics to songs at age six and had complete works by age 12. She has written for ensembles such as International Contemporary Ensemble and had her works performed at The University of Oklahoma’s collegiate Composer’s Workshop and Curtis Summerfest. In Joanna’s recent choral work commissioned by The May Festival called, “Untamed” she created an inclusive and meaningful concert experience for both hearing and deaf individuals by collaborating with an ASL interpreter/dancer, who acted out and translated the text sung by the choir for a non-hearing audience.