Joseph Michael Pignato composes music for improvising ensembles. His scores blend traditional notation and graphic symbols with the intent of eliciting idiosyncratic interpretations of his work. Recent pieces exploit distributed computing and web-based communication protocols to link performers working in disparate locations. Pignato's compositions, described as "haunting" by the Charger Bulletin, have been performed or exhibited in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific Rim. On faculty at the State University of New York, Oneonta, Pignato performs regularly with the electro acoustic trio atom3.