Joined Hochstein Faculty in: 1978
Additional position(s) at Hochstein: Co-Chair, Piano Department; Accompanist
Joseph Werner retired in 2022 as the Principal Keyboardist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, after a tenure of 50 years. During this time he appeared often with the RPO in concerto repertoire ranging from Bach to Gershwin. He also served as the orchestra’s Personnel Manager for 24 years. As a collaborative artist, he was a founding member of Trio Nova and was the Co-Artistic Director for the Society for Chamber Music in Rochester for 13 years. He has recorded for the Columbia, Vanguard, Musical Heritage Society, Nexus, and Naxos labels.
Currently Co-Chair of the Piano Department at The Hochstein School, he was the first recipient of the Hochstein Faculty Service Award. Werner also currently serves as Director of Piano Studies at Roberts Wesleyan University. In 2007, he was honored with Mu Phi Epsilon’s “Musician of the Year” Award.
Werner is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and the Performer’s Certificate. His teachers have included Eugene List, Brooks Smith, Leon Fleisher, and Rosina Lhevinne.