Joy Simmonds first fell in love with the cello when it was randomly handed to her in a grade 5 music class. After leaving public school, there followed a long hiatus, but she never lost sight of her passion for this instrument. She began to play in earnest again when her son Danny began lessons. She played alone quietly in her home until her first transformative experience at Lakefield Music Camp (formerly CAMMAC Ontario Music Centre). There she was catapulted into the world of communal music making and she hasn’t looked back since. Currently a member of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra, the Hilltop Trio (with Barbara Hilts, flute & Gael Morrison, piano), the Mandolin Society of Peterborough, and the Board of Lakefield Music, Joy is passionate about any kind of music making.

A life changing journey to Nicaragua in 1980, where she worked with orphaned and abandoned street children, led Joy to community work with Latin American refugees and immigrants upon returning home to Toronto. She re-trained as an elementary school teacher and taught for 15 years in inner city schools. After moving to Peterborough, she taught for two years at Trent’s School of Education and Professional Learning. But she missed working directly with children and families. So, she decided to return to her social work roots. Joy now has a private practice providing psychotherapy and play therapy to children, adolescents and families.

Joy met her partner,Colin MacAdam, at Trent University many years ago. After living, working and raising their three children in Toronto, they decided to return to Peterborough. They love the community and their beautiful home on top of the hill.