Miss Joanna Calhoun, a 17 year old senior at West Monroe High School, played before an enthusiastic crowd at the main stage of the NSU Folklife Festival after being named the Louisiana State Fiddle Champion Saturday night. Joanna made her first appearance in the competition at the tender age of 7 when she won her age category. She returned ten years later to win the championship. In addition to the violin, Joanna plays the piano, flute, mandolin, banjo, guitar and a Chinese instrument called the Ehru. Her newly won championship is not her only musical honor. She is first chair flute in All State for Louisiana as well as All South in addition to 1st chair in the Monroe Division of the Louisiana Music Teachers Association for piano. Calhoun plans on attending either LSU or Tulane and major in the sciences.
