Bio
Joel Zigman (he/him/his) writes catchy melodies. If his songs get stuck in your head, he's happy. Inspired by artists like Sufjan Stevens, Imogen Heap, Owen Pallett, JD Samson, Sleater Kinney, Matt Mahaffey, and Tori Amos, Joel likes to create a wide soundscape for his music that mixes electronics and orchestration. He draws from his background in contemporary classical composing and arranging to use a full spectrum of tones and timbre to build out a song and take it in unexpected directions. Joel also tends to the lyrically unexpected, bringing a sense of humor and self-deprecation to words that are sometimes poignant and occasionally surreal. He wants his audience to feel something, to dance, and to laugh. He is a dynamic performer who is constantly striving to bring more interactive energy to his sets.
Joel is currently a founding co-owner and teacher at Deeply Rooted Music School. In addition to teaching, writing, and performing music, Joel occasionally works as an accompanist, a real estate agent, and a consultant on LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools. He holds a master's degree in Music and Human Learning from the University of Texas at Austin with a portfolio in “Arts and Cultural Management and Entrepreneurship” and undergraduate degrees in English and Music Composition from Rice University. He was a co-founding chair of the Colorado Transgender and Nonbinary Educators Network, and an author of the “How to Be a Good Ally: Creating Safer Spaces in New Music” zine created for the 2016 New Music Gathering.
Originally from Jersey City, New Jersey, Joel Zigman lives and works in Denver, Colorado.
Reviews
"Singer-songwriter Joel Zigman, a music educator and self-described recovering classical composer, makes lo-fi, synth-heavy pop songs in the tradition of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. They’re sincere, raw and charming — and rooted in what he describes as “lots of transgender feelings.”
"The first single from solo artist Joel Zigman, 'Passing Problems' packs a punch. ”
In the News
303 Magazine: New Colorado Music You Should Know - June Edition (June 2020)
OutFront Magazine: Local Artist Drops "Passing Problems" for Trans Day of Visibility (March 2020)
Westword: Transgender Composer Joel Zigman Quit Classical for Lo-Fi Synth Pop (December 2019)
GLSEN Blog: What About Trans Educators? (November 2019)
Chalkbeat: LGBTQ advocates to push for student and staff protections in Jeffco schools (June 2019)
Denver Post: Colorado teachers begin two days of protest, chanting “Stand up and fight!” (April, 2018)
NPR: Transgender Teachers: In Their Own Voices (March, 2018)