Joshua Hillmann

Joshua Hillmann has entertained audiences for years as both a solo and collaborative artist with his energetic and colorful musical interpretations and outstanding technical ability. He began his studies at the age of 12 and within a year and a half was awarded First Place in his first local piano competition.

He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance at Arizona State University, studying with Dr. Baruch Meir, with whom he also earned his Master of Music Degree. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance at the University of Kansas, studying with Dr. Jack Winerock, and gave solo and ensemble recitals as well as participated in multiple honor recitals during his career there. His earlier musical training came from the St. Louis Symphony Music School, studying with internationally known teacher Jane Allen.

 Joshua has been the recipient of numerous awards in national and international competitions.  Most recently he was awarded the special prize from the National Society for Arts and Letters for the “Most Ouststanding Arizona Pianist” in the 4th Bösendorfer USASU International Piano Competition in Tempe, AZ, and was awarded 1st Place in October 2006 at the 1st WPPC PIANOvision Most Wanted Piano Competition: Etude Invitational in Atlanta, GA, was an Alternate Winner of Arizona State University's Concert of Soloists Piano Concerto Competition in 2005 in Tempe, AZ, was Winner of the 2003 Kansas City Musical Club Collegiate Piano Competition in Kansas City, MO, and was awarded 1st Place in the Kansas Music Teachers Association Collegiate Piano Competition in 2002 in Kansas City, MO, and also 1st Runner Up in 2001. He has also performed in master classes with Anne Schein, Robert Hamilton, Hugh Sung, Philip Kawin and Arbo Valdma among others. 

He has performed solo recitals in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Phoenix, and has performed as solo and collaborative artist in S. Korea with the Kansas City Chorale, and in the USA with the University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, and the Arizona State University Sinfonietta.

A member of the Music Teacher's National Association, Joshua has been teaching private and group piano for several years and has taught class piano at Arizona State University as a graduate teaching assistant. Currently he is teaching privately with Prestige Music Academy in Phoenix, AZ.

An experienced studio musician and recording engineer, he has worked with BMI registered artist Mr. Walter, providing background piano and vocal tracks for recording projects as well as being in charge of audio editing and instrumental in mixing audio as well.

He has also been a member and/or director of several recording and touring vocal ensembles including His Presence (a high-school a cappella group that recorded 2 CD's and toured continental United States and Canada); he was a member of KU Jazz Singers and Chamber Choir; he was Music Director, bass singer and recording engineer/producer of the student a cappella group Genuine Imitation from the University of Kansas; he was a bass singer in the Grammy Award winning Kansas City Chorale, and the vocal jazz octet at ASU called the Herberger Singers. He is currently a bass singer in the Grammy Award winning Phoenix Chorale (Arizona's only professional choir), the ASU Symphonic Chorale and vocal jazz group Heatwave, as a bass soloist with the Arizona Bach Festival and is also a staff bass soloist at Church of the Beatitudes in Phoenix.