Composer
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Orchestrator
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Songwriter
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Educator
Large Ensemble
Orchestra // Choir // Jazz Big Band // Wind Ensemble
Upcoming Release
We Remember Moments
My debut instrumental EP is coming to all streaming platforms in 2026. Here's a sneak peek of the track "August (of 2006)" off the EP!
Biography
Joel Toews is a contemporary Canadian composer, arranger, songwriter, and keyboardist based in Toronto. He studied at Berklee College of Music (2012–13), earned a Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Popular Music from MacEwan University (2018), and earned his Master of Arts in Music Composition at York University (2026) with a specific focus on composing music dedicated to Canadian National Parks and their ongoing sustainability. His compositional style is influenced by classical, jazz, and contemporary pop techniques to create music that is both emotionally resonant and versatile.
A rising talent in orchestral composition, Joel’s orchestral music has been performed across Canada by acclaimed ensembles such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Toronto, Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra (Scarborough), University of Alberta Symphony, and the Borealis Orchestra (Edmonton). Internationally, his orchestral compositions have been performed by the Litha Orchestra (New York), New Conductors Orchestra (New York) and Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra (Bulgaria).
Beyond orchestral music, Joel is an active jazz big band composer, with recent commissions from the MacEwan Generations Big Band and River City Big Band. Outside of jazz, recent commissions include a choral work for the Festival Singers (Sherwood Park) and a suite for cello and piano with internationally acclaimed cellist Sahara von Hattenburger, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts. His academic accolades include the Canada Graduate Scholarship (2024), the J. Israelievitch Scholar in Interdisciplinary Arts (2023), Orchestra Toronto’s Composer Prize (2022), the Litha Symphony Orchestra’s Composer Contest (2021), and participation in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Explore the Score program (2021).
Joel currently lives and works in Toronto, ON. He is a piano, theory and composition teacher for children, youth, and adults; he works as a freelance composer, arranger, and songwriter; and he is Orchestra Manager of the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra.
Use the contact form below for any composition or teaching inquiries.