Joanna Forbes L’Estrange

Composer / Performer

Joanna Forbes L’Estrange is a British soprano and jazz singer. Following an MA (Hons) degree in Music from Oxford University her career began with seven years as Soprano and Musical Director of the five-time Grammy® Award-winning a cappella group The Swingles. Its unique sound has inspired many composers, notably Luciano Berio who included “eight amplified solo singers” in his orchestral masterpiece Sinfonia, a piece which Joanna has performed over sixty times with orchestras throughout the world.

Contemporary music plays a significant role in Joanna’s solo career. Her repertoire includes multiple works by Steve Reich, including Desert Music and Music for 18, and Grand Pianola Music by John Adams. At London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios Joanna records Hollywood film soundtracks (more than 200 to date) and is a soloist for the live-to-projection concerts of Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Her solo recordings include Will Todd’s Mass in Blue on Convivium.

Joanna’s choral music is published by the RSCM. She is the founder and Musical Director of AQUILA, an all-female vocal group based in Cambridge and this summer will be conducting The Self-Isolation Choir. She lives with her composer/jazz musician husband and their two musical sons.