JOSEPH ALFUSO
| COMPOSER
ABOUT
Joe’s first guitar lesson was at age seven, and it hooked him on a life of music. High School saw rock bands, and college a classical guitar degree from CSUF. Studies with legendary L.A. composer Harold V. Johnson and conductor Fritz Zweig prepared him for a couple of real jobs: a conducting position with the Crystal Cathedral Symphony in Garden Grove followed by a staff writing position at the “Happiest Place on Earth,” Disneyland. All of these opportunities were waypoints for each new phase of a career that has now spanned over thirty years.
Besides the many shows, & events in the themed park world, he was the score composer on a number of feature films, including The Oogieloves and the Big Balloon Adventure, working with Cloris Leachman, Christopher Loyd & Chazz Palminteri, Shoot Or Be Shot
with William Shatner and Harry Hamlin and the classic western, The Outsider, giving him the chance to write in one of the most favorite genres of any composer. As orchestrator, Joe contributed
to a number of successful movies, including The Perfect Storm, How The Grinch Stole Christmas
and Premium Rush.Joe’s work in Japan, Canada, Europe & South America has brought him into ongoing relationships with fellow musicians and artists from across the globe.
In 2012 he composed and conducted the Concerto de Natal
for Brazil's Ministry of Culture, Amazonas, at the famous Teatro Amazonas Opera House in Manaus, Brazil. Conducting the Amazonas Philarmonica and Coral do Amazonas, along with a cast numbering in the thousands, the concert was seen by an audience of over 100 thousand and was broadcast live throughout South America.
In addition, Joe has conducted the London Symphony, National Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and Slovak National Symphony orchestras.