Music with deep roots 

Joshua Jenkins has been playing the piano since he was seven years old, and began performing in public at the age of twelve. A proud alum of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., he holds a Bachelor’s of Music from Temple University, where he studied classical Piano Performance and Spanish. Alongside fellow Ellington students, he performed on stage at the Kennedy Center and Strathmore Music Center with artists such as Ledisi, Patti LaBelle, and Sting. While studying in Philadelphia, he gave various classical solo and chamber recitals, and worked with several jazz ensembles. Joshua was the Jazz Ensemble Director of CAAPA (the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts) from 2018 to 2020. He has a keen interest in Afro-Cuban drumming, and has visited Cuba several times to conduct research and take lessons. As a graduate of the Strathmore Artist in Residence (AIR) program for the 2022-2023 season, he continues to have a strong relationship with that institution and its stunning array of talent. Most recently, in 2024 Joshua headlined a performance at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, where the seats were completely filled.