Joel Esher is a musical theatre composer and lyricist living in New York City. He a member of the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theater Advanced Writing Program. His musical, PharmaBro (with Lauren Gundrum) premiered Off Broadway in May 2017, earning an OBA Nomination for Best Musical of the 2017-2018 season. He is a collaborating composer on Folk Wandering, which premiered Off Broadway in 2018 with Pipeline Theater Company. As an arranger, his work is featured on Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella. He is a composer, arranger, improv accompanist, and vocalist.
Joel is a passionate master teaching artist and music educator. Affiliations include The Metropolitan Opera Guild, The Trinity Church at Wall Street, and The Little Orchestra Society.
Joel is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Direction. He is a music director for improv and sketch comedy, most notably with The Second City, Baby Wants Candy, The Magnet Theater, and ComedySportz (Chicago and NYC). He is the New York regional Music Supervisor of The Story Pirates.
