Joe Amato is a Canadian musician, composer and educator. Born and raised in London ON, Joe began his music career on clarinet and saxophone performing in local bands and musical theatre. Joe holds a Masters degree in theory and composition and he attended Western University, Humber College and York University where he studied saxophone with George VanOstrand, Doug Pullen, Pat LaBarbera, Alex Dean and composition with Ron Collier, Michael Coghlan, David Mott, Bill Wescott and Larysa Kuzmenko.

Joe is the first composer to be accepted into the Canadian Forces Artist Program. Joe's works span both scared and secular, and extend across many styles of music from choral to jazz orchestra and symphony orchestra. Joe has performed throughout Canada, USA and South America in a wide variety of projects from shows to jazz bands and orchestras. Through the years, Joe has been invited to adjudicate for Toronto Kiwanis Festival, the CNE Rising Star Competition and Golden Horseshoe Festival.

Over the years Joe has been on faculty or been a guest clinician at IMC, The Bishop Strachan School, TIFF, Massey Foundation, Humber College, Mohawk College and he has worked with music students in more than ten cities throughout China from primary school to college ages.

As a professional speaker he has been invited throughout China, Korea, Japan and Australia to speak at conferences on a wide variety of education topics. Joe is currently the Principal and Director of Music at the Oakville P.E.N. Academy, a private high school for the arts, in Oakville Ontario.