Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Jacob Joyce is Associate Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, appointed by Music Director Manfred Honeck in October 2021. A dynamic and innovative presence on the podium, Joyce served as Resident Conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony, appearing with the ISO several times in the '19-'20 and '20-'21 seasons, in various classical, education, Happy Hour, and community concerts. He also made his debut with several American orchestras in recent seasons, including the Detroit, St. Louis, Houston, Colorado, Ann Arbor, Richmond, Baton Rouge and Spartanburg symphonies. Abroad, Joyce has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, the NDR-Sinfonieorchester, the hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, and the Frankfurt Museumsorchester and the Hamilton Philharmonic. For his work in Indianapolis and around the world, Joyce was awarded a Solti Career Assistance Award in 2020.

Joyce previously served as the Conducting Fellow for the Fort Worth Symphony, with whom he collaborates frequently, and has also held positions as the Associate Conductor of the Yale Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Berkeley College Orchestra, Music Director of the Opera Theater of Yale College, and Cover Conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston. An avid promoter of contemporary music, Joyce has conducted several premieres of orchestral and operatic works. Joyce is also an advocate for bringing classical music to new audiences. He is the host and creator of the podcast Attention to Detail: The Classical Music Listening Guide, which provides people of all backgrounds with basic techniques for listening to classical music. He also works extensively with educators, music teachers, and orchestra directors, providing career advice and instruction to students across the country.

Joyce studied Orchestral Conducting with Hugh Wolff at the New England Conservatory. He has also received instruction at the Tanglewood Music Center and the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. In recognition of his work, Joyce was awarded the Robert Spano Conducting Prize at Aspen, and was a semifinalist in the LSO Donatella Flick Conducting Competition and the Solti International Conducting Competition. Joyce graduated from Yale College in 2014, with a B.A. in Music and Economics. He also received a M.M. in Violin Performance from the Yale School of Music in 2015, studying with Syoko Aki.

As a violinist, Joyce has performed with several orchestras nationwide, and was awarded the Broadus Erle Prize for an Outstanding Violinist at the Yale School of Music. He served as the concertmaster of the Yale Symphony Orchestra and performed regularly with the Boston Philharmonic and the Atlantic Symphony. He has previously attended the Tanglewood Music Center, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Encore School for Strings.

Now celebrating their 25th Anniversary Season, Attack Theatre fuses modern dance, original live music, and interdisciplinary arts to create “wickedly entertaining stage productions” (Pittsburgh City Paper). Under the artistic direction of co-founders Peter Kope and Michele de la Reza, the company has performed and toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia including for the Avignon Festival (France), the 7th Next Wave Dance Festival (Japan), Indonesia Arts Festival, Monaco Danses Forum, the Spoleto Festival and the Broadway production of Squonk. Known for their "audacious athleticism" (Dance Magazine), Attack Theatre has created more than 150 original works in theatrical and non-traditional settings. A sought after collaborator, the company has brought dance and movement to partnerships with theater companies, museums, and more than a dozen operas, including Carmen, Rigoletto, Eugene Onegin, Aida, Turandot and Samson and Dalila. Attack Theatre has had the honor of performing with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in a number of engagements, including the reimagining of Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat with Pinchus Zuckerman. With a core belief that movement is an essential part of living and learning, Attack Theatre conducts creative learning and wellness programs in school and community settings throughout the region, reaching more than 9,000 students, teachers, and community members annually.www.attacktheatre.com

ThomasChatmanis an artist, arts administrator and founding Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Cultural Arts Collective (PCAC). PCAC is an organization comprised of resident artists who are dedicated to cultivating their individual artistic practice and careers, as well as the development, health, and growth of The Hill District cultural community. Through this organization, Chatman offers instruction in African dance and drumming at the Alma Speed Fox building on Wylie Avenue as well as through an afterschool partnership at Miller African Centered Academy. Chatman is not only committed to preserving and nurturing the cultural and artistic legacy of the Hill District, but addressing individual and collective health-related issues impacting the community through holistic and healing arts. His affiliate organization, The Whole Health Network, offers nutrition counseling, massage therapy, and holistic wellness for individuals, community groups and organizations.