Joseph Packales was born in New York City and received his education at The Eastman School of Music, Cleveland State University, and Kent State University. He has served the faculties of Skidmore College, Belknap College, and Cleveland State University and was, from 1984-1999, Composer-in-Residence and Associate Professor of Music at The University of Texas at El Paso.

Dr. Packales' list of works includes piano, orchestral, choral, and chamber pieces in addition to an opera, Scenes from the Life of The Virgin Mary, the musical score to the outdoor drama, Viva! El Paso!, and a ballet, Lilith. He has fulfilled commissions from such artists and organizations as The Fox Trio, Christiane Edinger, The Figaro Trio, The Ohio Arts Council, The Presidential Orchestra of Turkey, The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and The El Paso Symphony Orchestra. His works have been performed throughout the United States, and in Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Italy, Turkey, Slovakia, Chile, India, Sweden, and Poland.

He has twice been nominated for The Pulitzer Prize, and has been honored with The Howard Hanson Prize, several Macdowell Colony fellowships, a major grant from the I.B.M. Corporation, and two grants from The National Endowment for the Arts.

Works of the last decade include Brahmanirvana, premiered at the 1993 Rockport Festival of Music, where he was Guest Composer; I Was on the Sea, a piece for large orchestra available on CD in a performance by The Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; and Tour/Retour, an orchestral piece premiered in El Paso and Ankara, Turkey, in 1995. Recently premiered were Revolving Visions at the End of the Ocean, and Christ Church: A Monday Morning in May.

His choral works are published by Voice Of The Rockies, and a recording of Lucidae, performed by Canadian pianist Sylvia Shadick-Taylor was recently released.

Dr. Packales teaches composition and theory courses at The University of Southern Maine and is the organist at Highland Avenue Methodist Church in Gardiner, Maine. He lives in Pittston with his wife, Barbara, a music educator, and her son, Michael.

Find out more about the University of Southern Maine at Gorham by clicking on the link below.

University of Southern Maine