Joshua Gersen

An artist of impeccable musical credentials, Joshua Gersen is widely respected as an engaging and inspiring conductor, able to communicate effortlessly with both young and established orchestras internationally. A native of the New York area, he made his debut as a conductor at the early age of 11 and has established himself as a dynamic presence on the podium ever since.

Joshua recently concluded his tenure as the Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, where he most notably made his subscription debut at just a few hours’ notice, filling in for an indisposed Semyon Bychkov.  “Impassioned and incisive,” wrote the New York Times, “the performance earned a standing ovation and prolonged applause from his colleagues in the orchestra.”  He then conducted his own subscription concert the following season, which included the orchestra’s only performance of Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story during the Bernstein centennial year.

As an educator, Joshua has frequently worked with students and ensembles at The Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, Boston University, and the Curtis Institute of Music.  He was the Interim Director of orchestras at Boston University for the 2019-20 academic year.  During his time with the New York Philharmonic, he also conducted many of the orchestra’s celebrated young people’s concerts and worked extensively with both the very young composers program and the harmony program, which provides music education for students in underserved communities across New York City.  Previously, Joshua was Music Director of the New York Youth Symphony, where he conducted numerous concerts to critical acclaim, and successfully led the orchestra on their first international tour in over 50 seasons.