Joan Watson

Joan Watson is Canada’s foremost horn soloist, Principal horn, lecturer and educator. Joan is highly regarded as a consummate musician and skilled virtuoso. Her contributions across the country include presently serving as Principal Horn of the award-winning Canadian Opera Orchestra, founding member of the prestigious True North Brass quintet, Associate Principal horn of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for 14 seasons (having won the job while 8 months pregnant!), and Principal horn of the Esprit Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Opera and Vancouver Opera Orchestras.

Joan is frequently heard on CBC radio as a chamber musician and with New Music Concerts. She has been a featured soloist at the International Women’s Brass Conference, the International Horn Symposium in Banff, and the International Brass Quintet Symposium in Atlanta. Joan was invited to be a featured soloist and lecturer at the International Horn Symposium in Chicago in 2009.

As well, you will hear her on numerous commercials, television shows and movie scores. Joan’s solo CDs, Songs My Mother Taught Me, and The Call of Christmas, are wonderful collections of favourites available at www.joanwatson.com or www.truenorthbrass.com.  Joan has a 25 year old relationship with Yamaha Canada as a Yamaha artist and clinician. In 2008, the Yamaha Company chose to make a poster of Joan, making her the first woman brass player in the world featured on a Yamaha poster. In June 2010 she hosted the International Women’s Brass Conference in Toronto.  A faculty member at the Boston Conservatory and the University of Toronto, Joan teaches horn and lectures on Performance Skills, audition preparation, practice tips, and creating a passionate and fulfilling life of music making.

Joan has recently founded Higher Notes Inc., a business for coaching artists in clarification, goal setting and success.

Joan Watson is a passionate professional coach and lecturer helping people gain clarity about their goals and ambitions, set a path to succeed at these aspirations and support them on the journey. These skills come from Joan’s over 40 year career as a professional coach and educator/lecturer. She is on faculty at the University of Toronto and has created courses and lectured at the University of Manitoba, University of Saskatchewan, Mount Royal College in Calgary as well as not for profit organizations.