Music Directors and Accompanist

Dr. Joshua Russell – Artistic Director & Conductor

Dr. Joshua Russell has performed as a pianist, organist, and conductor throughout the United States, Europe, and Haiti. Widely regarded as an expert on the piano music of Haiti, Dr. Russell has twice performed at the Haitian Embassy in Washington, D.C., after which Ambassador Raymond Joseph stated, “As an interpreter of Haitian music, you could not find a better person. He was an inspiration to all who heard him. He is an inspiration to me.”

Dr. Russell has appeared as soloist with orchestras across the United States and has given hundreds of lectures and recitals at universities and other venues such as the Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition in Baltimore, the American Liszt Society National Conference, and the San Gennaro Festival of Los Angeles. Dr. Russell has spoken at national conferences of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and the College Music Society, and his recordings, lectures, and interviews have been broadcast on radio and television stations throughout the country. Dr. Russell’s students have been prizewinners in national and international piano competitions and have performed in major venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

As a faculty member of the École Sainte Trinite Summer Music Camp for Haitian Youth in Leogane, Haiti, Dr. Russell conducted the renowned Petits Chanteurs Haitian boys’ choir in rehearsals and concerts. During his time as the choir director at Chesterton Academy in Peoria, the school’s choirs have grown into capable ensembles that present engaging, full-length concerts of collegiate-level compositions and interdisciplinary integration of theatre and dance. The all-school choir and Chamber Singers are active in the community, frequently singing for church services, private events, and community functions.

Joshua received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Iowa, where he served as a graduate teaching assistant in both the piano and choral departments. Dr. Russell formerly held faculty positions at Cornell College, Bradley University, and Illinois State University, and he now serves as the head of school for Chesterton Academy of the Sacred Heart in Peoria and as Academic Dean for the Chesterton Schools Network, an international network of 62 private high schools. He is a regular speaker nationally on the topic of Classical education and the integration of the arts in education. Dr. Russell additionally holds a commercial airplane pilot’s license and private helicopter license and is an FAA Certified Flight Instructor.