Joana Sá (1998) is a Portuguese saxophonist passionate about contemporary music, multidisciplinary performance and sound exploration through free improvisation. Along with her performing activity, Joana is a music teacher, teaching saxophone, orchestra and chamber music.

Joana holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music (Saxophone Performance) and a Master's Degree in Music Education (Saxophone and Chamber Music) from Lisbon Superior School of Music. She is currently deepening her studies with a Postgraduate Degree in Wind Orchestra Conducting, at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria.

She has had the privilege of playing for renowned saxophonists in private lessons and masterclasses, including Vincent David, Timothy McAllister, Marie-Bernadette Charrier, Rob Buckland, Kenneth Tse, Mario Marzi, Gerard McChrystal, Preston Duncan, Albert Juliá, Nicolas Prost, Fabrice Moretti, Yiannis Miralis, Joaquín Franco, Mário Marques, and Fernando Ramos.

An active chamber musician, Joana plays in various ensembles, from classical woodwind orchestras to different chamber music groups. She recorded two albums with IKB Ensemble (Hippocampus guttulatus and Titanus giganteus) and in 2021, she recorded MELT, an improvised dialogue between four musicians.

As an advocate for today’s music, her music approach is of everlasting curiosity, exploring a diverse range of genres, repertoire, and sound possibilities. Joana is constantly working with composers in the creation of new and innovative repertoire for saxophone, exploring new sound possibilities of the instrument and promoting the use of electronics, improvisation, movement and speech in the performance. While enhancing the interaction between performer and composer, she has premiered several new pieces.

Joana has performed in several art and music festivals notably Midwest Clinic (Chicago, USA); Douro Jazz; Creative Fest; Festival Música Viva; Festival DME – Dias de Música Eletroacústica; Reencontros de Música Contemporânea; Festival Internacional de Saxofone de Palmela; MWood’Art Festival Internacional de Madeiras; Cistermúsica; Guimarães Noc Noc and BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts.