Joel Pickard

Joel has an MA in composition from Mills College in Oakland, CA where he studied with Fred Frith, Alvin Currin, and Pauline Oliveros. He has a BA in Music from Bethel College in St. Paul, MN where he studied classical guitar. From 2009-12, he studied cello with Anna Fritz. As a composer, Joel writes for film, dance, and commercial use. Recent film work includes the score for director Sydney Freeland's feature, Drunktown's Finest. Co-scored with Mark Orton, it premiered at Sundance 2014 and won the Grand Jury and Audience Award for Best US Dramatic Feature at this year’s Outfest. Apart from film work, Joel regularly creates music and sound design for HBO, Showtime, Smithsonian Network, the Independent Film Channel, and other commercial clients.