MEDIA & EPK/PRESS KIT

Joshua Rao is a sound engineer, composer, arranger, and pianist who holds 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 the Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship for academic achievement and a Piano Performance Talent Scholarship awarded for his extensive classical repertoire and performance work.

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His musical training began at age five at the Rochester Conservatory of Music, and later continued internationally in Taipei and Beijing, where he expanded his knowledge of music theory and history while developing conversational fluency in Chinese. His exposure to the cinematic compositions of Thomas Bergersen inspired him to begin composing and arranging orchestral works during his early teens.

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At Oakland University, Joshua developed advanced skills in both piano and audio engineering. As a Varner Hall Audio Assistant under Professor Terry Herald, he worked on indoor and outdoor live productions, gaining valuable experience during the university’s COVID-19 shutdown through extensive outdoor stage and recording setups. As a pianist, he memorized and performed over 50 minutes of advanced repertoire in a single semester, including Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 (Allegro affettuoso) and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 13, Op. 10, No. 1.

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His professional credits include a recording internship at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he shadowed Matthew Pons, and technical work with IATSE Local 38, assisting in the setup of audio, lighting, and video systems across major venues in downtown Detroit. He currently serves as an Audio and Production Assistant at Oakland University, contributing to both academic and public performances.

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For his senior music technology project, Joshua orchestrated several advanced piano works he previously performed—Medtner’s “March of the Paladin,” Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 3, and Chopin’s Ballade No. 1—into full symphonic arrangements.

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