Biography
Joshua Oppenheim
Conductor, educator, and builder of ensembles — at home on the podium, in the rehearsal room, and in the community.
At a glance
- 2008–presentProfessor of Music and Director of Choral Studies, Kansas State University — tenured 2014, full professor 2020.
- 2026–28officePresident, American Choral Directors Association, Southwest Region.
- 2025–foundedFounder and Artistic Director, Re:Sound Ensembles.
- D.M.A.degreeChoral Conducting, University of North Texas; M.M., University of Mississippi; B.M., Western Michigan University.
Short bio
Dr. Joshua Oppenheim is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at Kansas State University, where he has served since 2008. Known for choirs of uncommon warmth and precision, his ensembles have performed by invitation at the ACDA National Conference, the NCCO National Conference, and the NAfME National Conference.
He is President of the American Choral Directors Association’s Southwest Region (2026–2028) and previously served on the national board of the National Collegiate Choral Organization. Oppenheim is founder and artistic director of Re:Sound Ensembles and served as chorus master of the Kansas City Symphony Chorus.
An in-demand guest conductor, he has worked across Thailand, South Korea, Ireland, the UAE, and Singapore, and has conducted the National Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall and Washington National Cathedral. He holds the D.M.A. in Choral Conducting from the University of North Texas, and is the host of the podcast What’s Your Story with Joshua Oppenheim.
Long bio
Dr. Joshua Oppenheim is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at Kansas State University, where he has led the choral program since 2008 — earning tenure in 2014 and promotion to full professor in 2020. His choirs are known for their warmth, precision, and adventurous programming, and have performed by invitation at the ACDA National Conference (2019), the NCCO National Conference (2019, 2013), the NAfME National Conference (2017), and multiple ACDA Southwest Region conferences.
A leader in the profession, Oppenheim is President of the American Choral Directors Association’s Southwest Region (2026–2028), after serving as President-Elect (2024–2026), and previously sat on the national board of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (2019–2023). Before Kansas State, he taught at the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam (2006–2008).
In 2025 he founded Re:Sound Ensembles, a professional vocal ensemble where he serves as artistic director, and in 2026 he served as chorus master of the Kansas City Symphony Chorus, collaborating with mandolinist Chris Thile and the Kansas City Symphony. He previously founded Expert Clinician (2015) and Choraltech (2002–2016).
As a guest conductor, lecturer, and adjudicator, Oppenheim has worked in Thailand, South Korea — including the Pohang City Choir, the National Chorus of Korea, and the Catholic University of Korea — Ireland, where he served as Artistic Director of the Dublin International Choral Festival, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore. He has led ensemble tours across the United Kingdom (2022), Ireland, France, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic, and Finland, Latvia, and Estonia (2025). He has conducted the National Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall (2014, 2015) and at Washington National Cathedral (2018), and has led dozens of all-state and honor choirs nationwide, including the Colorado All-State Choir (2027) and the Mississippi All-State Honor Choir (2026).
As co-principal investigator he has secured more than $400,000 in grant funding, including the $254,100 Summer Choral Institute. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of North Texas, the Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Mississippi, and the Bachelor of Music in Choral and General Music Education from Western Michigan University. He is the host of the podcast What’s Your Story with Joshua Oppenheim, featuring conversations with the people behind the music.