Hailed by Deke Sharon as “dynamic, bold, and audacious,” Josh Ehrlich is a composer, lyricist, arranger, accompanist, music director and music educator in New York City. With a BA in linguistics from Yale (where he music directed the Society of Orpheus and Bacchus) and an MA in composition from Rutgers, Josh now music directs and orchestrates for the musical theater productions, bands, and choirs at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires and The Leffell High School. He also music directs Hallelu, assistant directs Kol Ram, sings regularly with Pella, Kol Zimra, Simcha Singers and Shalom Singers, accompanies services for Sha’ar Communities, and plays keyboards in the ‘90s rock band Uncle Jesse. Josh has written several hundred musical theater orchestrations and a cappella arrangements for ensembles all over the New York area including Voices of Gotham and the entire Imbible series (A Spirited History of Drinking, Christmas Carol Cocktails, and Rum and Pirates) and is thrilled to have made his off-broadway composing debut with The Imbible: Day Drinking. Between 2018-2019, he composed The Choral Torah: 5 Books in 4 Parts, a collection of fifty-four eclectic a cappella compositions — one for each week of the Jewish year -- which reanimate our most ancient and venerated text through fresh four-part harmony. He since founded The Choral Torah Collective, an ensemble of gifted Judaeo-musical educators eager to share this music and the lessons built into it on biblical and musical literacy. Finally, starting in September 2020, Josh has been studying to become a cantor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
Contact
Josh is available for commissions, music direction, piano accompaniment, and teaching.
He can be reached at josh@joshehrlichmusic.com