Described as “a voice to watch out for” by CBC’s Bill Richardson, Joseph Glaser’s music creates space for performers and audiences alike to have out-of-the-ordinary experiences. Having had many years of training as a dancer, Joseph looks at composition with a choreographic eye leading to pieces that are as much about physical movement as they are about sound. A graduate of McGill University where he studied with Jean Lesage, his thesis explored the relationship between dance theory and music performance. Joseph also holds a degree from the University of British Columbia where he studied withJocelyn Morlock, Dorothy Chang, Keith Hamel and Stephen Chatman.

Joseph has had his works performed across the country in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Notable performances include a one-act opera developed with FAWN Chamber Creative, premieres by Bakarlari, theToy Piano Composers, McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble under Guillaume Burgogne, Caution Tape Sound Collective, the Gryphon Trio and the Amici Chamber Ensemble among others. Joseph co-founded Ear Camera, an experimental music collective that was based in Montreal.

Current Projects

Past Projects

FAWN Chamber Creative: Pandora (June 2019) / Synesthesia IV (May 2016)

Photo by Francesca Chudnof

A new triple bill opera written by librettist David James Brock (Toronto, ON) with music composed by David Storen (Vancouver, BC), Joseph Glaser (Montreal, QC) and Kit Soden (Montreal, QC), and developed through a devised creation method, involving a week of improvisation with the FAWN Team, this piece has existed outside the boundaries of the operatic experience since its genesis

The opera centres around someone who stumbles upon an object and quickly gets drawn into what, and who, is inside. Stage director Amanda Smith explains, “Although this piece isn’t directly about the myth, I imagine that in Pandora we see what happens when the jar, or box, is opened a second time. Hope and good shoots out from a place of isolation and is now mixing in with the darkness that was previously released. The result we see is humanity, with its raw contradictions and complexities.”

This piece came out of Synethesia IV in 2016. Synethesia involved the music from six Canadian composers selected by FAWN and Jenn Nichols (choreography) and Kathryn Frances Warner (art installation) created a dance-based art installation to demonstrate the connection between sound and body. At the end of the night, the audience selected three composers (Kit Soden, David Storen, and Myself) to continue onto part two of Synesthesia IV, Pandora.

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Bakarlari first concert, 1 Oct 2018

Bakarlari is a collective composed of soloists, dedicating itself to exploration of new sounds and overcoming creative barriers. Grouping instruments that are not often put in the spotlight – tuba, trumpet, guitar and clarinet – the ensemble desires, above all, to expand the contemporary soloist repertoire, and to promote the development of a tight collaboration between composer and performer. A Bakarlari concert is an intimate experience that will get you out of your comfort zone.

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Ear Camera, 2017-2018 season

Ear Camera is a collective of bodies dedicated to creating concert experiences.

Better way of life, May 2017:

The inaugural concert of Ear Camera. Works that probe the boundaries of genre. Featuring works by Noa Haran, Keith Stratton, and Michael Pisaro

Body language, October 2017:

A set of works that explore bodies, space, and togetherness. Featuring two works by Amnon Wolman and new works by India Gailey and Joseph Glaser

Family gathering, April 2018:

A weekend concert where we get together, eat, tell stories, and listen. Featuring the work of Ear Camera members in duos and trios.