Joana Barata began her piano studies at the age of five. She studied at the Nossa Senhora do Cabo School of Music, in Linda-a-Velha, with Mariana Cruz, at the National Superior Orchestra Academy (Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa/OML) with Alexei Eremine in the Piano for Chamber Music and Accompaniment program, and completed her degree in Piano at ESMAE, in Porto, under the guidance of Madalena Soveral, earning the Eng.º António de Almeida Prize. In Chamber Music, she was mentored by Paul Wakabayashi and Ryszard Woycicki, among others.

Simultaneously, she participated in advanced training courses, both solo and in chamber ensembles. She performed in a flute and piano duo at the Clube Literário do Porto (2007–2009); worked as the pianist for the operatic production Efeito Imediato, staged from March to June 2009 by A Companhia de Teatro do Algarve, directed by José Lourenço; and worked as a repetiteur for The Phantom of the Opera in its Portuguese premiere (2019), directed by Pedro Ribeiro.

Joana Barata has collaborated with the OML Opera Workshop, preparing Mozart operas and performing in various venues across the Lisbon metropolitan area. She played in the Loures and Torres Vedras Firefighters’ Band in the performance of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. Since its first edition in 2008, she has organized the Ulgueira concert series (Sintra, Colares), which was afterwards integrated into the Sintra Festival. She was a guest pianist at festivals such as the Almost 6 International Trumpet Festival, the Palmela International Saxophone Festival, the Montijo City National Competition, and Verão Clássico.

She has worked as a accompanying pianist at various music schools, including the Conservatory of Music of Porto, the Suzuki Music Academy — A Pauta (2007–2010), in competitions, concerts, and recitals, the D. Dinis Conservatory of Music (2010–2017), and the Escola Superior de Artes Aplicadas (I.P. Castelo Branco).

She currently collaborates with the Ensemble MPMP, performing world premieres and recordings, as well as with the Associação Musical Lisboa Cantat and the Associação Coral de Odivelas. She is also a collaborative pianist at the Metropolitana Professional School and the Artistic School of Music of the National Conservatory.