Josh Cohen, Music Director

Maestro Josh Cohen has been involved with music in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for many years as violinist, bassist, concertmaster, conductor, board member and impresario.  At California State University, Hayward (now East Bay), he studied violin with Daniel Kobialka and Nate Rubin, and conducting with Dennis DeCoteau.

He has performed with many groups around the region including the Oakland East Bay Symphony, the California Symphony, Oakland Lyric Opera, Holy Names Orchestra, Livermore Valley Opera, Livermore Symphony, San Jose Lyric Theater, Alameda Civic Light Opera, Diablo Valley Opera, Contra Costa Musical Theater, Trinity Chamber Concerts, and plays occasionally with the Ellis Island Old World Folk Band and the San Francisco Balalika Ensemble.  Josh has also served on the boards of the Oakland Lyric Opera, the California Symphony, and ProMusica Alameda and has been involved in projects with the San Francisco, Oakland (Oakland East Bay), California, and Berkeley Symphonies. 

He has recently collaborated with several Bay Area composers including Jack Curtis Dubowsky and Aaron Blumenthal in the development of orchestral and violin repitoire and is working with Varetski Pass and the Bay Gulls in various collaborations orchestrating Klezmer pieces. 

Along with his duties as founding Musical Director and Conductor of the Castro Valley Chamber Orchestra,  he produces and performs chamber music concerts,  directs opera and musical theater productions and continues to perform on violin and bass.  He has performed with chamber groups and orchestras in the US, Canada, England, Israel  and Australia.

When he has free time, Josh is a principal in Qibits Associates, specializing in computer networking and security projects, and with AVIVA Properties in commercial and investment real estate.  Josh lives in Alameda with his wife Genevieve, who is a flutist.