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2009 Klein Competition Commissioned Composer Joel Hoffman

Born in Canada in 1953, Joel received degrees from the University of Wales and the Juilliard School. He is part of a distinguished musical family that includes brothers Gary and Toby, cellist and conductor, and sister Deborah, harpist. Honors include a major prize from the American Academy-Institute of Arts and Letters, two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a BMI Award, ASCAP awards since 1977, and three American Music Center grants.

Currently, Joel is Professor of Composition at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. He is also an active pianist, having appeared as soloist with, among others, the Chicago Symphony, the Belgian Radio and T.V. Orchestra, the Costa Rica National Symphony and the Florida Orchestra. Joel’s works draw from such diverse sources as Eastern European folk musics and bebop, and are pervaded by a sense of lyricism and rhythmic vitality. His music has been frequently heard at summer festivals such as Portogruaro, Korsholm, Evian, St. Nazaire, Newport, Chamber Music Northwest and the Seattle Chamber Music Festival.

All of Joel Hoffman's music is published, either by his own publishing house Onibatan Music or by RAI Trade, E.C. Schirmer, G. Schirmer and Lyra Music. There are recordings on the CRI, Koch, Stradivarius, Centaur, EMA and Deutsche Welle labels. A disc devoted to Hoffman’s chamber music is available on the Gasparo label. A new CD of Joel Hoffman's three Piano Trios has just been released on the Albany label.