For more than 40 years, Joël Widmaier has been a leading figure in Haitian music and audio production. A composer, arranger, producer, sound engineer and artistic director, he has built a career at the intersection of music creation, media and cultural development. Trained in radiocommunication and sound engineering in the United States, he is also the composer of more than 70 radio and commercial jingles and the recipient of a Radio France Internationale award for broadcast sound design.

A self-taught drummer from the age of 13, he began his musical journey with the Mini Brothers and later the Widmaier Brothers before co-founding the legendary Haitian group Zèklè in 1981 alongside Ralph Boncy, Ti Raoul Denis and Mushy Widmaier. Through four successful albums, Zèklè helped shape the evolution of Haitian music with a modern sound blending rock, funk, konpa and jazz, deeply rooted in Caribbean influences.

Throughout his career, Joël Widmaier has collaborated with numerous renowned artists, including Toto Bissainthe, Bernard Lavilliers, Wyclef Jean, Jocelyne Béroard, Azor, Carole Demesmin, Fabrice Rouzier, Belo, Boulo Valcourt, Jacky Ambroise and Reginald Policard.

As President of Fondation Haïti Jazz and Artistic Director of PAPJAZZ – the Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival – since its creation in 2007, he has dedicated much of the past two decades to the development of Haiti’s jazz scene and international artistic exchanges. A co-founder of Ayiti Mizik, he also works to strengthen and professionalize Haiti’s music sector. Today, he is one of the leading advocates of Kreyol Jazz, working to promote its recognition as a distinct musical expression rooted in the meeting of jazz and Creole cultures. Through his artistic work and cultural leadership, he continues to contribute to the development, visibility and international reach of Kreyol Jazz.