A native of Portland, OR, composer Joel Morris has written for a wide variety of instruments and ensembles, from songs and small chamber works to electronic music, orchestral pieces, and film scores.  In April 2010, his choral setting of the sacred Latin text Ave Verum Corpus was premiered simultaneously in both Portland and San Francisco.  In 2009, his song "Bitter Winter" for mezzo-soprano and piano tied for first place in an art song composition competition judged by Kirke Mechem.  Joel's piano music has also been featured as part of the Four by Four piano-duet series in Portland.  

In addition to his work as a composer, Joel also performs as both a pianist and trumpeter.  His performance credits include several world premieres by San Fransisco Bay Area composers and concerts as principal trumpet of University of Southern California's Concert Orchestra.  Joel is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and studied at USC's Thornton School of Music before transferring to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he received his Bachelor of Music degree in composition.  At the Conservatory, he studied composition with Conrad Susa and David Conte, trumpet with Mario Guarneri, and piano with Scott Foglesong.

As a teacher, Joel works hard to ensure that all of his students enjoy their learning.  He believes that making music should always be a fun experience and that developing good practice habits leads to enjoyable practice.  With the right teachers and enough practice, anyone can play learn to play to the piano!