Joshua Stephen Smith is a conductor, pianist, creative collaborator, and coffee enthusiast based in Southwest Oklahoma. He brews coffee by manual pour-over, which serves as a metaphor for life: a daily ritual to remember there is no machine, just you and the simple tools in front of you. His passion for coffee comes second to his passion for music making with others. Joshua enjoys a multi-faceted and vibrant career as music director, collaborator, teacher, and conductor to ensembles such as elementary choirs, church musicians, and orchestras for musical theater and ballet. He has received critical acclaim for his “excellent and sensitive” conducting of Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, The Nutcracker, for Michael Bolger’s NUTCRACKER, a contemporary adaptation of the ballet, produced by The Complex Contemporary Ballet Company (Putnam, CT).
Joshua serves as Assistant Professor of Music and Music Department Coordinator at the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma. He is a Doctoral Candidate in Conducting at The University of Oklahoma and will defend his dissertation before spring of 2025. He builds on the rich mentorship he found at Messiah University (MM Conducting) with Yoon Soo Lim and Rachel Cornacchio. When not making music, Joshua is reading about covenant epistemology, drinking coffee, and enjoying family.
Grow is a verb that describes all my efforts and labor. I'm a learner at heart; however, growth is the motivation behind the learning and doing.
As a CONDUCTOR, I make music with others to
become a better grown up in the world.
As a COLLABORATOR, I include the experiences of others to grow beyond my own insights and knowledge.
As a CREATOR, I use my skill as a conductor and my value of collaboration to create artistic experiences that seek to bring forth
beauty, truth, and deep connection.
GROW IS MY WORD
Educator
Click here to see Joshua's work with helping people
grow as artists.
Animateur
Collaborating with ensembles to bring greater connection to the music and the audience.
Music Director
Click here to see Joshua's work as conductor for theatre, ballet, and church music.
Mentor/Learner
Join Joshua and other conductors in a collective mentorship. Click to see more.