Joan Savage grew up in Saskatoon then studied music in Baltimore (B.Mus., Peabody Conservatory) and San Francisco (M.Mus., San Francisco Conservatory of Music); her principal teachers were Violaine Melancon, Earl Carlyss, Isadore Tinkelman, Ian Swensen, and Mark Sokol. She has been a member of the Saskatoon Symphony since 1995.

She is a co-director of Prairie Virtuosi (www.pvorchestra.ca); a member of the innovative ensemble BeMUSed: blending classical chamber music with stories and literature (www.bemusedsaskatoon.weebly.com); and a member of Starry Night Chamber Musicians (www.starrynightmusicians.weebly.com). Joan’s chamber music performances have been broadcast on radio and television.

In addition to an active performance schedule, Joan teaches violin to private students, coaches for the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra, and is an adjudicator with the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association. She also writes fiction (www.joanlsavage.ca); her short stories have appeared in magazines in Canada, the U.S., and Israel.