Joshua Espinoza

About the Artist

An avid performer and educator, pianist and composer Joshua Espinoza balances his time sharing music on the stage and off. As a performer, Joshua has played with renowned artists including Warren Wolf, Paul Bollenback, Miho Hazama, John D’earth, Mike Pope, Kris Funn, Todd Marcus, Chuck Redd, Ryan McGillicudy, Eugene Goss, and Gail Wynters, and on national stages including Piccolo Spoleto (Charleston), The Jazz Kitchen (Indianapolis), Blues Alley, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Keystone Korner (Baltimore), and the DC Jazz Festival. Joshua was a finalist in the 2018 Ellist Marsalis International Jazz Piano competition. In January 2016, Josh was a semi-finalist in the UNISA International Jazz Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa where he was named “Most Promising Semi-Finalist.” He was previously a semi-finalist in the American Jazz Pianist Competition (2014) in Melbourne, FL. Joshua is currently on the faculty at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and was previously on the faculties of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Franklin College (IN), and Morehead State University (KY). Josh holds a B.M. in Piano Performance from Furman University (SC) and an M.M. in Jazz Studies (minor in classical piano) from Indiana University. With a style rooted in the jazz tradition yet tastefully modern, Joshua’s music reaches audiences of all ages. Currently, Josh is a freelance performer and teacher in Baltimore, MD.

Artist's Statement

Through composition and musical performance, I seek to explore the space between classical art music idioms and jazz improvisation. I believe music is a powerful storytelling device, and my work weaves together drastic and sudden changes in harmony, melody, and texture to achieve a narrative arc from start to finish. I'm fascinated by the juxtaposition of light and darkness, and the way that harmonic and melodic motion can convey a descent or ascent from deep despair to triumphant joy.