Joseph R. Kaz is a dynamic young composer established across the Eastern United States. With performances by ensembles such as The Metropolitan Wind Symphony, Our Lady's Consort, the Silver Finch Arts Collective, and collegiate ensembles across the country, Kaz's music covers many genres and fields. In competition, Kaz's music has won many prizes including the Jack Downey Composition Prize in both 2012 and 2013, the 2010 Texas Orchestra Directors Association Composition Contest, the 2014 Ithaca College ACDA Choral Composition Competition, and the Metropolitan Wind Symphony's North American Composition Competition. A composer primarily focused on the creation of new operas, Joseph's first opera The Song of Solomon, was premiered by the Ithaca College Light Opera in 2013. Other recent performances have included a semi-staged reading of the opera Alice Flagg at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC and a full production of the work at the Winyah Auditorium in Georgetown, SC, and a third production of the work at The Catholic University of America. Joseph received a Bachelors of Music in Composition from Ithaca College, and his Masters in Composition from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Joseph's primary teachers have been Dr. Dana Wilson, Dr. Sally Lamb-McCune, Dr. Jorge Grossmann and Dr. Andrew Simpson. Recent performances as a tenor have included singing Messegero in Verdi's Aida with Opus Concert Theatre, Le Prince in Viradot's Cendrillon with Bel Cantati Opera, Monostatos in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with Opera AACC, the Professor in Rodger's and Hammerstein's South Pacific with Annapolis Opera, Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff with the Shakespeare Opera Theatre, and ensemble appearances with Annapolis Opera, Bel Cantanti Opera, and Maryland Lyric Opera. An advocate for new opera, Joseph created the roles of the Dean and Vicar in Patrick Valentino’s Monuments Men, and in the ensemble for the world premiere of A Wolf By the Earsby Dana Wilson. A graduate of Ithaca College and the Catholic University of America, Joseph has studied with renowned singers and teachers including Patrice Pastore, Rick Christman, Marc Webster, and Jeffrey Springer, and currently Fabiana Bravo. Joseph has coached with renowned pianists and conductors including Lisa Bloy, James Harp, and Arlene Shrut.