A native of Lenoir, North Carolina, Joanna Porter began her oboe studies with Alicia Chapman at Appalachian State University, then earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University where she studied with Jane Marvine (English horn, Baltimore Symphony) and participated in studio classes with Joe Turner and Katherine Needleman. Joanna then completed further study with Stéphane Rancourt (principal oboe, the Hallé Orchestra) as a full-scholarship student in the continuing education program at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow, Scotland.
Joanna is currently based in Davie County and is in high demand as a freelancer and orchestral substitute in the piedmont and mountains of North Carolina, performing frequently with the Winston-Salem Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, Asheville Symphony, Salisbury Symphony, and Fayetteville Symphony, and she has performed as principal oboe of the Piedmont Wind Symphony since 2010. Over the years she has appeared onstage with a variety of musicians representing a wide range of styles and genres, including Hilary Hahn, Leon Fleischer, James DePriest, Marina Piccinini, The Irish Tenors, Ben Folds, The Wailers, America, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Paul Anka, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Ricky Skaggs, Gregory Alan Isakov, and Boyz II Men.
As an arts administrator, Joanna has experience in a variety of roles, including operations, education, outreach, research, marketing, and planning. She has worked for Scottish Opera (Scotland's national opera company), Eastern Music Festival, and the Wake Forest University Department of Music. Joanna also holds a Master of Library Science degree from North Carolina Central University.