Artist Bio

(Bio as of April 2011)

Joe Cerqua most recently collaborated with the Goodman on El Nogalar during the 2010/2011 Season. He is a freelance composer, sound designer, vocalist and producer. His previous Goodman credits include composition and musical direction for A Christmas Carol (2004 – 2006), and composition and sound design for Millennium Mambo and Transformations. Recent projects include composing and designing sound for Pinocchio at Deaf West Theatre Company in Los Angeles; The Circle at American Players Theatre; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play at Forward Theater Company; Emma at The Cleveland Play House; Bus Stop at Kansas City Repertory Theatre; and compositions and performances with the Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre. Mr. Cerqua has composed music and designed sound for more than 200 productions around the nation including productions at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Court Theatre, Northlight Theatre, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Players Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, the Alliance Theatre, BAM, Vienna’s English Theatre and National Jewish Theater, among others. His work has been Jeff-recognized 11 times, and he is the recipient of five After Dark awards and an Ostrander Award. His scores and sound designs for Homebody/Kabul, Side Man, Broken Glass, How I Learned to Drive and Master Class have all been featured on national tours. He is the supervising producer for the music department at Columbia College Chicago, and is the producing director and composer in residence for the Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, an award-winning and critically acclaimed 13-piece jazz orchestra and 12-member dance company. His future projects include composition and sound design for Sense and Sensibility at Northlight Theatre, Going to St. Ives at Forward Theater Company, The Taming of the Shrew at American Players Theatre and musical direction for The Adding Machine at Skylight Opera Theatre.