Joan Griffith is known in the Midwest as a teacher, performer and composer. She has toured and recorded extensively as a classical and jazz guitarist, a bassist and a mandolinist. Her jazz CD, ñEnter You, Enter Love,î featuring many of her own compositions, was chosen as one of the top ten best recordings for 1996 by KBEM. Her choral composition ñSweet Noelî won the 1998 Christmas Carol Contest sponsored by the American ComposerÍs Forum and the Plymouth Music Series. Joan is the head of the jazz studies department at the University of St. Thomas, an instructor of guitar and bass at the College of St. Catherine and roster artist in jazz for COMPAS, the Minnesota State Arts Board and Young Audiences. Her performances on mandolin include the Minnesota Orchestraïs 1999 performance and recording of MahlerÍs ñDas Lied von der Erdeî under the direction of Eiji Oue, as soloist with the South Dakota Symphony on their premiere recording ñJourney to the Badlandsî and as a featured artist in the chamber music series of Minnesota OrchestraÍs SommerFest.