Joshua Wirt, a native of Christiansburg, VA (USA) has been
playing the tuba since age 12. While still in high school,
Josh was playing with ensembles at Virginia Tech, where he later went
on to complete his B.A. in Music Performance in 2004.
While at VT, Josh made numerous performances with
Quantum Brass and Brass Dominion, the Virginia Tech
Faculty Brass Quintet throughout Virginia and the
Eastern United States. He also regularly performed
with several professional ensembles in the region,
including the New River Chamber Winds. In 1997, Josh
won the Student Concerto Competition at Virginia Tech
and performed with the University Wind Ensemble in the
spring of 1998. In 1998 and again in 2004, Josh was
the featured soloist on tour with the University Wind
Symphony. Josh was a founding member of the Virginia
Tech Tuba Quartet which made several performances in
recitals, educational concerts, and at the
Southeastern Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference in the spring of
1999 at the University of Kentucky.
In June 1999, Josh travelled to Quebec to take part in the
international master class held at Le Domaine Forget. There he studied
with Roger Bobo and Lance Nagels as well as taking part
in orchestral workshops, brass ensemble, and brass
quintet. Later that year, Quantum Brass was invited to
travel to Leukerbad, Switzerland to participate in
Swiss Brass Week, under the tutelage of Roger Bobo.
While in Leukerbad, Josh was also able to participate
in masterclasses with Mel Culbertson. He returned to
Le Domaine in 2002 where he was inspired to study with
Maestro Bobo in Manchester, UK at the prestigious
Royal Northern College of Music.
Josh completed a postgraduate diploma in
performance (with Distinction) in 2005 at the
Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (UK)
where he studied with Roger Bobo and James Gourlay. At the RNCM, Josh
also had the opportunity to work with Mel Culbertson,
Steven Mead, Brian Kingsley, and
Ewan Easton. At the RNCM, Josh performed with the RNCM
Brass Band and Symphony Orchestra and again worked
with the Symphony Orchestra, performing Mahler's
Symphony No. 5 on July 1 at the Bridgewater Hall in
Manchester. Shortly after arriving in the UK, Josh was
exposed to British brass bands and was soon asked to
become a proud member (on BBb Bass) of the
world-famous Fairey Band (formerly the Williams
Fairey Brass Band) in Heaton Chapel. Josh enjoyed
several performances and contests with the band
recently, including a recent series of performances in
Vienna and a recording session at the BBC for the acclaimed, 'Listen to the Band' series on BBC
Radio 2.
Since returning to the US in July 2005, Josh has been working with ensembles such as the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Opera Roanoke, the Roanoke Chamber Brass, Brass 5, the Charlottesville Oratorio
Society, the Salem Choral Society, and the New River Valley Symphony. He is also continuing his passion for education by
teaching a growing number of private students in Southwest and Central VA. Outside of music, Josh is an avid lover of the
outdoors and enjoys hiking, mountain biking, racquetball and spending time with his family and friends.