Jacob Joyce

Currently serving as the Associate Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Music Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, Jacob Joyce is gaining recognition as a versatile and dynamic conductor, equally at home in the symphonic repertoire and on the podium for film-in-concert performances.

In recent seasons, Joyce has led orchestras such as the Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Nashville, and Kansas City symphonies in a wide array of films from popular franchises including Star Wars and Harry Potter, to classics such as Superman, Indiana Jones, Psycho, and others. He returns to conduct the Baltimore Symphony in December 2025, and has also led the Houston, St. Louis, and London symphonies, the NDR-Sinfonieorchester, the hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, and the Frankfurt Museumsorchester. He 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. An avid promoter of contemporary music, he 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. Mr. Joyce graduated from Yale College in 2014 with a B.A. in Music and Economics. He also received an M.M. in Violin Performance from the Yale School of Music in 2015, studying with Syoko Aki.