Artistic Staff
Joseph Higgins
Music Director
Dr. Joseph Higgins (he/him) is a conductor and educator who inspires creativity, curiosity, and understanding through art. In 2015, Higgins joined the faculty of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches courses in conducting and literature. During his tenure, the program has grown to include multiple directors, three concert ensembles, and the new “Pride of the Profs” Marching Band; ensembles under his direction have premiered over forty new works and collaborated with many world-class artists, including a recent residency with contemporary chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird.
For his exceptional leadership in the classroom, Higgins was awarded the Frances S. Johnson Innovative Teaching Award. He also received the Rowan University Values Award for Inclusivity in recognition of curating a “Music of Social Justice” performance series. The Rowan University Wind Ensemble performed at the 2020 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Eastern Division Conference, and Rowan Bands are often invited to state and regional festivals and conferences. In addition to his work at Rowan University, Higgins serves as guest conductor-clinician with outstanding professional, community, and student ensembles throughout the country, and he frequently teaches at conducting workshops and masterclasses for young musicians and educators. His current season includes performances in Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, as well as conducting the 2024 New Jersey All-State Band and Philadelphia Wind Symphony.
Higgins is a passionate advocate of socially-conscious programming that encourages greater connection among performers, audiences, and their environments. He served as co-chair of the Rowan University Catalysts for Sustainability initiative and is actively engaged with sustainability research, climate activism, and environmental education. Higgins founded and produced the first Sound Planet Music Festival in 2023; to learn more about recent sustainability programming and join future events, please visit: soundplanet.me.
He earned doctor and master of music degrees in conducting from Northwestern University, where his primary teacher was Mallory Thompson, and a bachelor of music degree in music education from the University of Georgia. Prior to graduate study, Higgins taught at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia. His other interests include film, politics, drawing, history, and cycling. He lives in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, with his wife Michelle Higgins and their daughters, Eden and Iris.
Dr. Virginia Allen
Artistic Director Emerita
Virginia Allen has conducted ensembles on stages around the U.S. and in Europe, South America, and Asia. As a pioneer for women in military bands, she was the first woman conductor of The U.S. Army Field Band and The Soldiers' Chorus in Washington, D.C., The U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point, The U.S. Army Forces Command Band in Atlanta, and the West Point Glee Club.
She is founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Wind Symphony, and founded and conducted the Sun Valley Youth Orchestra in Idaho.
Dr. Allen previously served as the Associate Dean for Administration and the Assistant Dean for Orchestral Studies at The Juilliard School, where she was the Artistic Director of the Conducting Workshop for Music Educators. A former conducting faculty member at Juilliard, The Curtis Institute of Music, and University of the Arts, Dr. Allen continues to teach conducting lessons online for Teachers College, Columbia University.
As a composer and arranger, Dr. Allen’s music has been premiered, performed and recorded by members of the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Washington Opera Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, The Juilliard Trombone Choir, The U.S. Army Band, The U.S. Army Field Band, and The U.S. Military Academy Band. Her music has been published by Carl Fischer, Theodore Presser, Keyboard Percussion Publications, Alessi Publications, Southern Music, Ludwig Music, and TRN Music. A member of ASCAP, she is a former board member for the Conductors Guild and the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE).
Dr. Allen studied French horn and conducting and earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Master of Music degree in Performance from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a Diploma in Wind Conducting from the University of Calgary. She received a Doctor of Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where her dissertation topic was Developing Expertise in Professional American Orchestra Conductors.