A Walk Through the Stages of Nomadic Soundsters with Founder and Artistic Director Joanna

Hello, it’s Claire (she/her/hers). I am one of the Co-Creative Directors of Nomadic Soundsters and I am excited to announce that I’ll be writing and contributing towards the blog section. One of the primary goals for this blog section is to provide a platform for collaborative artists of all disciplines to share their voice and to showcase their work in a safe and accessible space. I am looking forward to forging meaningful connections and having enriching artistic conversations with people of all backgrounds. For this first blog post, I’ll be introducing the Founder and Artistic Director of Nomadic Soundsters Joanna (she/hers). 

PC: Zachary Mendez

Joanna has been someone who has continually inspired and supported me in many ways, as a musician, a creator, and a collaborator. When she initially approached me to get involved with the Nomadic Soundsters project back in January, I did not have any doubts in my mind that she was up to brewing something special. Her engagement in interacting with the world around her and her consistent desire to see things from different perspectives have shaped the ideas and visions that have led to the creation of Nomadic Soundsters. 

After knowing Joanna for many years, it is evident that she is not the type of person to box herself into just one artistic endeavor. There are so many avenues that appeal to her and so many connections among those avenues that lead her to pave the direction for which she walks through. Her deep desire to bring people and disciplines together led her to create her own collaborative project in her undergraduate studies called “The Journey Bach.” For this project, she presented all six of the Bach Cello Suites in a unique way that involved live musicians (including herself), live dancers, sound design, lighting, rehearsal space, and moderating an audience/performer panel. “Realizing that people were open to ideas and were excited about it too,” fueled the fire within her and allowed her to experience the joys, the hurdles, the complications, and the rewards of collaboration. This was the turning point in which she realized that her guiding interests were within reach, but would require an extra step or two of persistence and dedication to formally materialize her visions to reality. 

PC: Jennifer Kloetzel

Moving forward, Joanna continued to higher education, with the intent of pursuing an MFA in musicology. Shortly into the program, she discovered the world of sound design, leading her to even more artistic possibilities. She took many leaps of faith to get acquainted with this unfamiliar world, as it was not her primary focus at the time. On her own, she self taught herself many digital programs, got connected with departments outside of music alone, and began forging connections with those around her in the sound and production field. 

“As you’re going through school, you don’t have the energy, time, or financial means to do what you want, but somehow you have to make it work.” 

Over the past five years, these experiences have ultimately led her to her visions with Nomadic Soundsters. The main objectives of Nomadic Soundsters were based off of her own eagerness to build an all encompassing space where people from different backgrounds could come together to build connections and create meaningful art with one another. She took it into her own hands to come up with a program that is meant to foster genuine growth among people and places alike. 

Moving forward with Nomadic Soundsters, the aim is to continue the virtual aspect as a way of promoting accessibility and affordability, and to continue to allow people from many different geographical locations around the world to come together and create artwork out of unexpected connections. Joanna has an abundance of ideas and plans for the future development of Nomadic Soundsters, and it’s hard to believe that even in a few short months, she’s already inspired so many people with her own artistic vision. 

“One of the biggest things is learning how to adapt to situations and make the most of it.”