| Occupation | Composer, Teacher |
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| Categories | Classical, Contemporary, Electronic, Jazz, Neoclassical, Soundtrack/Film Music, Electroacoustic Music, Vocal |
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Joseph Hasper is an American composer best known for his evocative jazz compositions and arrangements. He has written large-scale works for the Holland Symphony Orchestra, Carolina Cool Jazz Orchestra, Newburg Symphony, Coachella Valley Symphony, Izmir Youth Symphony, Pacific Fresno University, and York College of Pennsylvania, and works for countless professional and educational ensembles in over 28 countries.
Joseph studied composition at Carnegie-Mellon University with Leonardo Balada, where he composed the musicals Carried Away and Movie Music, and co-wrote Salem After Midnight. After earning a BFA in composition from Carnegie-Mellon University he studied jazz theory and arranging at the Mannes College of Music with Rich Shemeira and Phil Markowitz, completed music courses at the Armed Forces School of Music in 1986 and 1990, and earned additional music theory credits from the Army Institute for Professional Development. In 2004 he completed a Masters Degree, and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Oklahoma.
He has been active since 1981 as an arranger, piano soloist, sideman and combo leader. Notable engagements include long-running jazz trio gigs at the Seoul Hyatt; keyboardist and arranger for Harriet LeGrant from 1988-90; and keyboardist and arranger for The Great Scott Band in Asbury Park, NJ (1991-1993), and staff arranger US Army Bands based in Alabama, Washington State, New Jersey and Korea (1986-1995).
In addition to jazz compositions, over 100 of his orchestral, wind band and chamber works have been performed by military, professional, amateur and school ensembles across the world. Highlights include the premiere of Immigrant (Hope Dance) at the 2011 Fresno New Music Festival; WaTER Dance (ballet for septet and live electronics), commissioned for the 2011 International Water Technologies Conference; ABC Dance and Les Jongleurs (ballet) performed at the University of Oklahoma (2010); A Stephen Foster Medley for the opening of the Asiatic Bandmasters Conference in Seoul, Korea in 1988; Concertino for Piano and Orchestra in 1990; 45-minute patriotic band program for the 1991 Monmouth County Independence Day Celebration; Requiem For A Moment (for solo guitar and wind ensemble) with guitarists Eric Peterson with Robert Laskey in 1993; 22 orchestral arrangements for the Holland Symphony Orchestra’s 2007 Tulip Time pops concert; reading of I'm Onto You (jazz orchestra) at the 2010 ASTA conference; Onward Fresno!, official fight song of Fresno Pacific University; Autumn Invasion (concert band), commissioned in 2010 for the Thomas Grover Middle School; Dream Trajectories, commissioned by organist Joseph Henry; and Portrait of Scotland (solo guitar) at the Carnegie-Mellon University centennial exhibition.
Among his awards are grants from the American Music Center, the University of Oklahoma School of Music, and the Robberson Travel Grant.
