Joanne Bender (b.1950) was raised on a farm near Stratford, Ontario. She holds a Master of Science, Bachelor of Music [composition], and Master of Music [composition]. She has written many piano pieces for children, as well as chamber music, a cantata, an intergenerational chamber opera and several orchestral arrangements for the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Joanne teaches piano and composition, is involved with the Kiwanis Music Festival, and is well known in the Kitchener-Waterloo area as a chamber musician and accompanist. Joanne receives inspiration from her students, her husband, their four children, and their many trips to other parts of the world.