Joan La Barbara (born June 8, 1947, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) is an American vocalist and composer known for her explorations of non-conventional or “extended” vocal techniques. Her career as a composer, performer and sound artist has been devoted to exploring the human voice as a multi-faceted instrument, going far beyond its traditional boundaries, creating works for voices, instruments and interactive technology. La Barbara was a member of The Philip Glass Ensemble from 1971 to 1976. She is married to composer Morton Subotnick with whom she collaborates.