Joanna Marsden

flute, traverso

Joanna Marsden is a “fabulous” (The Whole Note) flutist from Montreal, Quebec. She has performed with numerous ensembles in North America and Europe, “beautifully” (Luis Gago, Madrid) and “with remarkable rhetorical clarity” (Boston Musical Intelligencer).

She has worked with conductors such as Ton Koopman, Julian Prégardien, Florian Heyerick, Mathieu Lussier and Peter van Heyghen, among others. She regularly plays with historical keyboardists Mark Edwards, Katelyn Clark and Christophe Gauthier.

Her debut CD, Devienne Sonatas with Mark Edwards, was released in February 2019 by Centaur Records and was warmly received by Early Music America and the American Record Guide. Recently, Joanna recorded Michel de la Barre’s Premier livre de pièces pour la flûte traversière (1702).

Joanna focuses on a broad repertoire and plays antique flutes by Tortochot (Paris, ~1770), Claire Godfroy l’aîné (Paris, ~1820), Jean-Louis Tulou (Paris, ~1841) and Isidore Lot (Paris ~1870) and some faithful reproductions.

She holds degrees from Vassar College, the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, and the Schulich School of Music at McGill University. Her principal teachers are Wilbert Hazelzet (Royal Conservatory of The Hague), Claire Guimond (Schulich School of Music of McGill University) and John Solum (Vassar College).

Joanna regularly conducts workshops and master classes on baroque flute and historical performance practices aimed at a wide network of students in Europe, North America and South America. As artist-in-residence with Symphonie Atlantique, Joanna gave a workshop on historical performance practice at the prestigious Festival de Música de Cámara de San Miguel de Allende. Joanna teaches baroque flute at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University.