Joshua Horsch

Director of Music

Conductor and pianist Joshua Horsch is currently the music director of Portsmouth Abbey School where he conducts/directs the orchestra, choirs, musical theater productions, jazz ensemble, a cappella groups, and chamber ensemble. 

Joshua is also currently on the conducting staff of Boston Opera Collaborative where he served as assistant music director/conductor for the Fall 2010 production of Mark Adamo's "Little Women."  Previous conducting positions include: Music Director/Conductor of the Penn State University Orchestra, Assistant Conductor of the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra, Assistant Conductor of the Penn State Chamber Orchestra, Music Director/Conductor of the Penn State Innovation Orchestra, Cover Conductor for the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra, Music Director/Conductor for the State College Community Theater's productions of "West Side Story," Conductor/Co-Director of the Penn State "Bring It and Sing It" Oratorio Society, Choir Director of the Huntingdon Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir, Music Director/Conductor of the Ithaca College String Orchestra, Assistant Conductor of the Ithaca Community Orchestra, and Music Director/Conductor of the Ithaca Opera Project.

As part of both the 2008 and 2011 International Conductors Festival in Kiev, Ukraine, Joshua has conducted eight concerts with the Lyatoshinsky Chamber Orchestra at the National House of Organ and Chamber Music in Kiev.  Joshua has done other conducting work with the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic in Zlin, Czech Republic and the Orquestra filharmonica de Estado Chihuahua in Chihuahua, Mexico.  As a participant in the renowned Oregon Bach Festival Master Class in choral-orchestral conducting, Joshua conducted the Grammy-Award winning Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra and Chorus while studying with celebrated Bach conductor/scholar Helmuth Rilling.  At the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Joshua studied with Baltimore Symphony Music Director Marin Alsop and legendary conducting pedagogue Gustav Meier.  As a four time participant of the International Conducting Workshop and Festival, Joshua has studied with prominent conducting pedagogues Gustav Meier, Larry Rachleff, Donald Schleicher, and Benjamin Loeb.  As a member of the New York Philharmonic Conductors Table, Joshua has participated in conducting seminars with Lorin Maazel and Leonard Slatkin.  At the University of Michigan Summer Choral Conducting Symposium, Joshua studied with eminent conductors Jerry Blackstone, Eugene Rogers, and Julie Skadsem.

Joshua received a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Ithaca College.  Joshua's principal conducting mentors have been Gerardo Edelstein, Jeffrey Grogan, Christopher Kiver, and Gustav Meier.