Dr. Joseph Welch

Dr. Welch is Visiting Professor of Music at Blackburn College. An advocate for the vocal and keyboard arts, Dr. Welch is the Founder and Artistic Director of St. Louis Art Song. He coaches studios in the Opera Theatre of St. Louis Artists-in-Training program and is the Director of Music at First Congregational Church in Bunker Hill, IL. Previous music direction credits: Opera Edwardsville, SIUE’s Summer Showbiz, Marble City Opera, Midwest Institute of Opera, and many summer programs. Dr. Welch is the resident pianist for Opera Edwardsville and frequently works with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. As choral accompanist, he plays for the St. Louis Children’s Choirs’ Young Men’s Chorus and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Festival Chorus. Dr. Welch serves on the boards of the Southern Illinois Young Artist Organization and the Bunker Hill Education Foundation. Recent awards: Member of the Year for the Illinois State Music Teachers Association – Gateway Arch East Chapter and Adjunct Instructor of the Year at Blackburn College. Dr. Welch enjoys genealogy, gardening, photography, farming, and home remodeling in his free time.