# Joel Hoffman (composer)

Joel Hoffman (born 1953 in Vancouver) is a Canadian/American composer of contemporary classical music and pianist living in New York, New York. Hoffman's music draws much of its richness and variety from such diverse sources as Eastern European folk musics, Chinese traditional music and American bebop, yet these sources seem to be seamlessly woven into a unique musical language that is pervaded by a sense of lyricism and rhythmic vitality.

## Biography

Hoffman is a son of conductor Irwin Hoffman and violinist Esther Glazer. Hoffman earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wales and a masters and doctorate from the Juilliard School. His teachers included Elliott Carter, Milton Babbitt, Vincent Persichetti, Alun Hoddinott, Arnold Whittall and Easley Blackwood.
For 36 years, he was a professor of composition at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music and the founder/director of the Music X festival of new music (1996–2011) which was held for the first thirteen years in Cincinnati and for the last three years at the Hindemith Music Centre in Blonay, Switzerland. He was president of Chamber Music Cincinnati (2008–2011), and has directed an annual summer course for composer/performers at the UPBEAT International Music School in Milna, Croatia since 2004
He has been the recipient of many honors from organizations such as the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Columbia University, BMI, ASCAP, and the American Music Center. Hoffman is a 2017 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellow.
Hoffman's music is published by Onibatan Music, his own publishing house Joel Hoffman official website, RAI Com, ECS Publishing (EC Schirmer), G. Schirmer and Vanderbilt Music Company (Lyra Music Co.).

## Works

This is a list of compositions by Joel Hoffman sorted by genre, date of composition, title, and scoring.
| Genre | Date | Title | Scoring |
| Orchestra | 2009 | ...repercussions... | chamber orchestra |
| Orchestra | 2003 | to listen, to hear | full orchestra |
| Orchestra | 2001 | The Smile | full orchestra |
| Orchestra | 1997 | Millennium Dances | full orchestra |
| Orchestra | 1995 | ChiaSso | full orchestra |
| Orchestra | 1994 | Music for Chamber Orchestra | chamber orchestra |
| Orchestra | 1992 | Music in Blue and Green | full orchestra |
| Orchestra | 1985 | Between Ten | full orchestra |
| Orchestra | 1980 | Chamber Symphony | chamber orchestra |
| Conducted (non-orchestra) | 2016 | The Dizi in my Life (alternate version) | dizi solo, string orchestra |
| Conducted (non-orchestra) | 2013 | The Dizi in my Life | dizi solo, dizi orchestra, 2 violoncello |
| Conducted (non-orchestra) | 2012 | "Party Piece" (for John Cage's 100th birthday) | oboe, bassoon, trumpet, trombone marimba, vibraphone, xylophone accordion, piano violin, viola, violoncello |
| Conducted (non-orchestra) | 2010 | Carnivalfinale | piccolo, clarinet, glockenspiel, xylophone 2 pianos, 2 violins, viola, violoncello, contrabass |
| Conducted (non-orchestra) | 2004 | The Old Machine at Sovereign Hill | intermediate level string orchestra |
| Conducted (non-orchestra) | 2003 | Brave Old Mordechai | clarinet, cimbalom, accordion voice, string orchestra |
| Conducted (non-orchestra) | 1996 | L' Chaim Chantata | 12-part ensemble |
| Conducted (non-orchestra) | 1990 | Reyzele: a Portrait | flute, clarinet, percussion, 2 violins, viola, violoncello, contrabass |
| Conducted (non-orchestra) | 1990 | Crossing Points | 20 solo strings |
| Conducted (non-orchestra) | 1978 | Music from Chartres | 2 trumpets, 4 horns, 3 trombones, tuba |
| Chamber | 2017 | Bitter Lemon Suite | clarinet, violoncello |
| Chamber | 2017 | Xiang He Ge 相和歌 | xiao, guitar |
| Chamber | 2017 | ei, jauga jauga | clarinet, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 2017 | Nautilus 鹦鹉螺 | sheng, vibraphone, guzheng |
| Chamber | 2016 | sizzle 丝竹 (alternate version) | violin, violoncello, piano, 2 marimbas |
| Chamber | 2016 | Beijing Express | piano four-hands |
| Chamber | 2016 | Riffs on a Great Life | violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 2015 | of Deborah, for Deborah | violin, viola, violoncello, harp |
| Chamber | 2015 | Huan Song Redux | dizi, flute |
| Chamber | 2014 | Music in Five Parts | flute, viola, harp |
| Chamber | 2013 | Osibova Blue | clarinet, 2 violins, viola, violoncello |
| Chamber | 2012 | another time | string quartet |
| Chamber | 2012 | Music in Yellow and Green | flute, violin, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 2011 | Camino Azul | string quartet |
| Chamber | 2011 | five bedtime stories | clarinet, guzheng |
| Chamber | 2011 | Piano Trio 4 | violin, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 2010 | ...the first time and the last | version for 10 violoncello |
| Chamber | 2010 | Self-Portrait with Orlando | 3 flutes |
| Chamber | 2010 | Three for Five | violoncello, string quartet |
| Chamber | 2009 | ...the first time and the last | version for 4 violoncello |
| Chamber | 2009 | Three Paths | violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 2007 | passo passo | string quartet, harpsichord |
| Chamber | 2006 | 6-8-2-4-5-8 | flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello piano, marimba |
| Chamber | 2006 | Arrivi | string quartet |
| Chamber | 2006 | Karptet | violin, viola, violoncello, 2 pianos |
| Chamber | 2006 | Three Oranges | violin, marimba |
| Chamber | 2006 | Three Snapshots | flute, violoncello |
| Chamber | 2005 | Blue and Yellow | flute, piano |
| Chamber | 2005 | String Quartet no. 3 | string quartet |
| Chamber | 2004 | Piano Trio 3 on C# | violin, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 2003 | Piano Trio 2: Lost Traces | violin, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 2003 | Coast to Coast | percussion, mandolin/banjo, violin |
| Chamber | 2003 | Portogruaro Quartet | 2 pianos, 2 percussion |
| Chamber | 2001 | Self-Portrait with JS | string trio |
| Chamber | 2001 | Gebirtig Speaks | clarinet, violin, viola, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 1996 | Stone Soup | narrator, violin |
| Chamber | 1996 | Portogruaro Sextet | clarinet, horn, violin, viola, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 1996 | The Music within the Words, Part 1 | flute, oboe, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 1996 | The Music within the Words, Part 1 | alternate version flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, piano |
| Chamber | 1996 | The Music within the Words, Part 2 | viola, violoncello, harp, piano |
| Chamber | 1995 | L' Immensita dell' Attimo | flute, piano |
| Chamber | 1993 | String Quartet no. 2 | string quartet |
| Chamber | 1992 | Metasmo | percussion trio |
| Chamber | 1991 | Cubist Blues | violin, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 1988 | 26 × 3 for 3 ( and E.C. at 80 ) | percussion trio |
| Chamber | 1988 | Fantasia Fiorentina | violin, piano |
| Chamber | 1987 | Ricordanza | violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 1987 | Hancock Trio | oboe, horn, piano |
| Chamber | 1984 | Music for Two Oboes | 2 oboes |
| Chamber | 1984 | Duo for Viola and Piano | viola, piano |
| Chamber | 1983 | Five Pieces for Two Pianos | 2 pianos |
| Chamber | 1982 | Music for Trumpets and Strings | 2 trumpets, string quartet |
| Chamber | 1982 | Sonata for Cello and Piano | violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 1981 | Nirvana, the Waterfall | soprano, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 1981 | Lyric Variations | 6 trombones |
| Chamber | 1980 | September Music | contrabass, harp |
| Chamber | 1980 | Suite | oboe, bassoon, violoncello, contrabass, percussion |
| Chamber | 1980 | Three Bagatelles | oboe, bassoon, piano |
| Chamber | 1980 | Divertimento | string quartet, harp, piano |
| Chamber | 1977 | Horn Concerto | horn, clarinet, violin, violoncello, piano |
| Chamber | 1977 | Variations for Four Flutes | 4 flutes |
| Chamber | 1977 | Bagatelles for harp and piano | harp, piano |
| Chamber | 1975 | Nocturne | violin, piano |
| Chamber | 1975 | Variations | violin, violoncello, harp |
| Concerto | 2014 | sizzle 丝竹 | violin, violoncello, dizi orchestra, 2 yunluo |
| Concerto | 2008 | Piano Concerto | piano, orchestra |
| Concerto | 2007 | The Forty Steps | oud, violoncello, orchestra |
| Concerto | 1998 | Self-Portrait with Gebirtig | violoncello, orchestra |
| Concerto | 1994 | Self-Portrait with Mozart | violin, piano, orchestra |
| Concerto | 1991 | reconstruction of Mozart's Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, 1st Movement | violin, piano, orchestra |
| Concerto | 1986 | Violin Concerto | violin, orchestra |
| Concerto | 1984 | Double Concerto | viola, violoncello, orchestra |
| Concerto | 1978 | Triple Concerto | violin, viola, violoncello, orchestra |
| Solo | 2017 | Cat Tales | intermediate piano |
| Solo | 2016 | AS 8.7.2 | piano |
| Solo | 2014 | Lamipìfona | violoncello |
| Solo | 2013 | Two Hands and Thirty-four thousand Feet | piano |
| Solo | 2012 | Amethyst Variations | piano |
| Solo | 2011 | un petit endroit très profond à l'intérieur de Dante | piano |
| Solo | 2010 | nine pieces for solo piano | piano |
| Solo | 2009 | départs | viola |
| Solo | 2009 | flutterby | clarinet |
| Solo | 2007 | Krakow Variations | version for solo violin |
| Solo | 2007 | unaccompanied minor | violoncello |
| Solo | 2007 | square one | violin |
| Solo | 2007 | unaccompanied minor | violoncello |
| Solo | 2004 | at what price? | piano |
| Solo | 2004 | For Bill | piano |
| Solo | 2001 | Round Midnight Variation | piano |
| Solo | 1999 | Krakow Variations | viola |
| Solo | 1991 | each for himself? | piano |
| Solo | 1990 | Partenze | violin |
| Solo | 1986 | Hands Down | piano |
| Solo | 1982 | Sonata for Harp | harp |
| Solo | 1978 | Concert-Study | flute |
| Solo | 1978 | Concert-Study | piano |
| Solo | 1977 | Abbassare | viola |
| Solo | 1977 | Concert-Study | violoncello |
| Solo | 1975 | Fantasy Pieces | piano |
| Vocal | 2005 | Sonnet 22 | 3-part men's chorus, 2 harps |
| Vocal | 1995 | L' lmmensita dell' Attimo | mezzo-soprano, piano |
| Vocal | 1987 | Sendup, Countdown | SATB chorus + optional piano |
| Vocal | 1974 | Three Englynion | SSATB |
| Theater | 2002 | The Memory Game | opera in three acts |

## Recordings

Three Paths. Albany Records.
Includes:
* Three Paths
* Nine pieces for solo piano
* ...the first time and the last
Self Portrait. Albany Records.
Includes:
* Sonata for Cello and Piano
* unaccompanied minor
* Self-Portrait with Gebirtig
* Karpet
Piano Trios. Albany Records.
Includes:
* Piano Trio No.1: Cubist Blues
* Piano Trio No.2: Lost Traces
* Piano Trio on C-Sharp
Cubist Blues. Gasparo Records.
Includes:
* Piano Trio No.1: Cubist Blues
* String Quartet no. 2
* Fantasia Fiorentina
* Sonata for Cello and Piano
Chinese Bamboo Flute Orchestra. China Record Corporation.
Includes Joel Hoffman: The Diz in my life
Bravo Orkester. Zalozba Kaset in Plosc.
Includes Joel Hoffman: Self-Portrait with Gebirtig
The American Experience. Milken Archive of Jewish Music.
Includes Joel Hoffman: Self-Portrait of Gebirtig
American Piano. Gasparo Records.
Includes Joel Hoffman: Fantasy Pieces
Music by Hale Smith, Sheila Silver, Joel Hoffman. CRI Recordings.
Includes Joel Hoffman: Duo for Viola and Piano
Soliloquy. Koch International.
Includes Joel Hoffman: Partenze
Premiere Chamber Works. Centaur Records.
Includes Joel Hoffman: Music for Two Oboes
Americans!. Stradivarius.
Includes Joel Hoffman: Each for Himself?
America. VDM Records.
Includes Blues and Yellow
Tum-Balalayke. EMA Records.
CD of traditional Jewish Songs; Joel Hoffman, piano and arranger