JOEL PIERSON
COMPOSER—PIANIST
Joel Pierson is a composer and pianist whose work straddles the worlds of jazz, pop, and contemporary classical music. He frequently uses humor as a means to engage audiences with new music.
Joel is the Artistic Director of The Queen's Cartoonists, a jazz ensemble that uses animated films and comedy to reach concert-going audiences of all ages. TQC's first studio album, Mozart's Jazz Requiem, premiered at #4 on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart. He also directs The Court at Versailles, a group that performs acoustic versions of electronic dance music. Joel also founded Sadsap Music, a music publisher that focuses on humorous music education books.
Joel has collaborated with artists and ensembles as diverse as the Kronos Quartet, the New York Philharmonic, the Philly Pops, the Cleveland Orchestra, Linkin Park, and Ke$ha. Concert highlights include sold out shows at The Blue Note Jazz Club, Konzerthaus Berlin, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Joel is a Yamaha Artist and is represented by CAMI Music. Hear him on NPR's All Things Considered here. He splits his time between Jackson Heights, Queens, NY, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Joel can be reached at no.juan (at) gmail (dot) com. And yes, Joel did get a shoulder massage from Paul McCartney.
“A visual and aural treat.”
- Los Angeles Times
“The music is utterly dazzling, the cartoons are delightful, and the light-hearted silliness and mumblecore, deadpan humor of the virtuosic, especially brilliant pianist and band leader Dr. Joel Pierson are absolute treasures.”
- Broadway World
“The result is an interactive, multi-generational concert that, at most, may convert young people into jazz fans and, at least, will keep them engaged for a night.”
- San Diego Union-Tribune