Joel alberto Garza

Joel Alberto Garza is an artist whose creative work and compositions range from orchestral and chamber percussion to theater and poetry/spoken word. He has performed around the country at events including PASIC, SICPP, TMEA, OMEA, and as a guest clinician at the Sam Houston Percussion Academy and 2020 ACSA Architecture Conference where he presented his collaborative composition “Architectural Improvisation #1 for Non-Architects and Non- Instrumentalists.” In addition, Joel was a member of the DCI/WGI groups Cascades, Troopers, and IPT/Monarch Independent. He is the founder/former director of Texas-based Latin Group “Grupo Movimiento” as well as the Cincinnati/CCM-based ensemble “CinciSon.” 

In Cincinnati, Joel works as a graduate assistant, active composer, dance accompanist, band leader, and private lessons instructor. He has commissioned and premiered works by composers such as David Farrell, Joseph Pignato, and Monica Pierce, as well as an ongoing marimba and electronics commission for composer Alex Dowling. Joel is a co-founder and member of the FG Percussion Duo alongside his friend and fellow percussionist Stephen Fleming. He has performed with the CCM Philharmonia Orchestra, CCM Percussion Ensemble, SHSU Symphony Orchestra, and SHSU Percussion Group. Joel is an avid drum set player, having performed in concerts such as the CCM Alumni Showcase featuring the CCM Philharmonia Orchestra and Broadway Superstar/Actress Betsy Wolfe, as well as in the pit for the musical Young Frankenstein at the Coverdale Center for the Performing Arts.

Joel received his Bachelor's in Music Education and Performance at Sam Houston State University, his Master's Degree in Music Performance at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is currently in the third year of his Doctoral Degree at CCM. His current and former teachers include James Culley, Rusty Burge, Allen Otte, Michael Fiday, John Lane, Matt Holm, and Adam Groh.