ABOUT ROSENWOOD MUSIC STUDIO'S JOSHUA RAO

Joshua Rao is a composer, sound engineer, arranger, and pianist with dual bachelor’s degrees in Music Technology and Computer Science from Oakland University, where he graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors. He is a recipient of both the Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship for academic excellence and a Piano Performance Talent Scholarship, embodying a rare synthesis of musical artistry and technical precision.

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He began his musical journey at the age of five at the Rochester Conservatory of Music, developing a deep affinity for Romantic and Baroque repertoire. His musical studies later expanded internationally, with time spent in Taipei and Beijing, where he deepened his understanding of music theory and history while gaining conversational fluency in Chinese. Inspired by the cinematic works of Thomas Bergersen, Joshua began composing and arranging original works for orchestra in his early teens.

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During his time at Oakland University, Joshua honed his sound engineering skills under the mentorship of Professor Terry Herald, serving as a Varner Hall Audio Assistant during both indoor and outdoor performances—including critical support during the COVID-19 shutdown period. Concurrently, he maintained an intensive performance schedule as a pianist, once memorizing and performing over 50 minutes of advanced classical repertoire in a single semester, including Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 13, Op. 10, No. 1.

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Joshua's professional experience includes a recording internship at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he worked closely with Matthew Pons, and technical production work with IATSE Local 38, assisting with audio, lighting, and video across some of Detroit’s premier venues. He has also worked as a production assistant to Katherine Boersma, contributing to the technical and logistical aspects of live performance production.

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As part of his senior project, Joshua arranged symphonic adaptations of piano works he previously performed, including Medtner’s “March of the Paladin,” Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 3, and Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G Minor.

Most recently, he was invited by Lisa and Cristina DiChiera to transcribe and perform a lost two-piano work by Dr. David DiChiera, titled Lament. Joshua is currently mixing the multi-microphone concert recording and synchronizing it to video for its official recorded re-premiere.