Joanna Estelle

Joanna Estelle (Storoschuk) is a Canadian composer, lyricist, and arranger whose music has won critical acclaim from Parliament Hill, Ottawa to London (UK), Barcelona (Spain), and elsewhere around the world. Estelle studied classical piano and theory with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) as a young person, but her parents deterred her from pursuing music as a career. Instead, she graduated in Psychology and English (Brock, 1972), then went on to study management accounting. However, her enthusiasm for music never waned. While building a successful professional career in Canada’s federal public service, Estelle channeled her creative energies into composing songs while studying modern piano, advanced theory, and arranging in her free time. She completed an undergraduate degree in music after eight years as a part-time special student at University of Ottawa, graduating summa cum laude on the Dean’s List as winner of the Faculty of Art’s silver medal (2009).

After leaving the public service, Estelle completed the M.A. Music Programme at York University, Toronto (2009-2011). She became a Melodious Accord Fellow of the renowned American choral composer Alice Parker and completed Dr. Neil Douglas-Klotz’s Abwoon Interspiritual Leadership Program. She was a doctoral candidate in composition through the University of Sheffield (UK) from 2016-2018 with her research focused on exploring the relationship between spirituality, science, and creativity, particularly as applied to choral and vocal music. This preliminary work led to a change in direction for Estelle, but she is now resuming doctoral studies in Canada with the goal of updating the philosophy of music to include 20th century metaphysical and scientific developments, as well as considering their impacts on society. 

Among Estelle’s many accomplishments, her work has been arranged and orchestrated for performance and recording by artists and choirs in Canada, the United States, and Europe, as well as broadcast on CBC. Trio Casals has included her work on their albums MOTO CELESTE and MOTO FINALE, which include performances at Carnegie Hall. 

In 2018, PARMA Recordings released Estelle’s first international compact disc EMERGENCE on Navona Records, and she is currently working on her second, TRANSMUTATION, planned for release in 2023.