BIO
Joseph de Dominicis is a composer and acoustic guitarist. He is a native New Yorker.
He is currently working on a new jazz-pop style solo guitar album to be released later this year.
Joe's first album, ‘Joseph de Dominicis Songs: Volume 1' with vocals and piano by Gloria Cooper, was written in the American Songbook tradition.
Joe was attracted to music at an early age. At six years old, he began studying piano but shortly after switched over to the guitar. His first teacher was his uncle, a professional-level jazz guitarist, who introduced him to the music of Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, and Charlie Parker.
From the age of 13 to 18, Joe performed in the top 40 band "The Souls of Sound". They performed at dances and private parties in New York City.
At 19, he began private instruction with jazz guitarist Carl Thompson. Inspired by Joe Pass, he began performing solo guitar concerts of original music on acoustic 7-string guitar.
In 1983, Joe performed in Astrolipso, a Trinidadian traditional/jazz fusion group. Astrolipso performed a concert at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and recorded an album later that year.
Joe has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in General Music from the Central Connecticut State University and he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Music Composition from the City University of New York at Hunter College in 1995, studying under Edward Knight and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Melinda Wagner.
He was the winner of the 1995 Shirley P. Mintz Award given to the graduating music major “who exemplifies a comprehensive knowledge and love of music.”
Joe became an artist member of The New York Foundation for the Arts and received a generous grant from the Steven H. and Alida Brill Scheuer Foundation to direct and perform in a series of over 100 solo concerts and ten trio concerts (Alex Gressel - bass, Vince Cherico - drums) of his original music throughout New York City.
In 1998, Joe's Fantasia for Piano, performed by Mary Bopp, was premiered at Christ and St. Stephens Church in Manhattan as part of a series presented by the Composers’ Collective /New Works.
He has appeared at the jazz club La Filarmónica De Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, and in 2004 he accompanied jazz singer Maria Pia, along with pianist Jacque Letalon in Italy.
For three and a half years, during the 2010's he accompanied noted jazz/pop singer Debra Skoff during a series of performances in New York City.
In 2019, Joe played 50 solo acoustic guitar events in different venues in Manhattan.