About Josiah

PC: Austin Funkhouser

Josiah Provan is an interstylistic composer and pianist with an eye for detail and a heart for telling stories through sound. He actively works to blur the lines between styles and genres, blending classical, jazz, and modern music into one unique language. His works have been performed by various ensembles, including the Messiah University Woodwind Quintet, Horn Choir, and Chamber Singers. He is affiliated with BMI Performing Rights organization.

Josiah was the 2022-2023 Messiah University Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition Laureate, performing the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Orchestra in April 2023; he has also performed on the piano alongside the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, as well as in various solo and collaborative classical recital settings. He regularly performs as a solo jazz artist and leads the Duck Duck Goose Jazz Trio. He also has experience as a big band pianist, having played for several years with Messiah University’s premier big band, JazzONE. He maintains a private piano and music theory teaching studio in the Bucks/Montgomery county area.

As a researcher, Josiah has engaged in multiple projects dealing with the overlap between his two primary academic disciplines of mathematics and music. His special research interests include microtonality, the harmonic series, and 20th century Western harmony; he has written two papers within this area, both of which are available in the Works tab, under “Academic.”

Josiah is an experienced oboist, having held the role of principal oboist/english horn player in the Messiah University Symphony Orchestra and the Woodwind Quintet during his time attending. He is also an accomplished choral singer and has performed with various PMEA regional choirs, the Roberts Wesleyan College Honor Choir, and the Messiah University Concert Choir and Chamber Singers.

Josiah received a B.A. in Mathematics and Music from Messiah University. He lives in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, where he works as a substitute teacher in the North Penn School District. He also holds the position of Student Life Director at the Csehy Summer School of Music in Langhorne, PA. Outside of musical activities, Josiah loves non-contact sports, reading, and cooking. His favorite color is maroon and his favorite smell is honeysuckle.

Classical Piano Repertoire List (updated August 2024)

  • J.S. Bach - Prelude and Fugue no. 2 in C minor, BWV 847

  • J.S. Bach - Partita no. 5 in G major, BWV 829, I. Praeambulum, III. Corrente, V. Sarabande

  • Beethoven - Sonata no. 14 in C# minor Op. 27, no. 2

  • Brahms - Fantasies Op. 116 no. 3, 6

  • Chopin - Etude Op. 25, no. 1

  • Chopin - Nocturne in G minor Op. 37, no. 1

  • Debussy - Prelude book 2, no. 5

  • Tan Dun - Eight memories in Watercolor, no. 3, 6, 7

  • Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, I. Allegro molto moderato

  • Haydn - Piano Sonata no. 50 in C Major, Hob. XVI

  • Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2

  • Poulenc - Improvisations for Piano, no. 1 in B minor, FP 63; no. 15 in C minor, FP 176

  • Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G minor Op. 23, no. 5

  • Nahre Sol - Sideways