At FPCLY Since: September 2024
Before joining the staff of First Presbyterian Church, Lynchburg, Josh O’Dell served as Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music at West Virginia State University. He also served as Chorus Master/Director of Education & Community Engagement at Opera Roanoke, Director of Sales at the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director/Founder of the Voices of Appalachia (Roanoke, VA), and as Minister of Music for churches throughout Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Florida. He also taught both middle and high school chorus, and held a Music Faculty position at Radford University.
Josh holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Messiah University, a Bachelor of Science in Music from Radford University, and a Certificate in Sacred Music from Virginia Wesleyan University, with additional graduate studies in Choral Conducting at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. He is also a Doctoral Candidate for the Doctor of Arts in Music at William Carey University.
Josh is a PK (preacher's kid) and comes from a musical family. Growing-up in the Methodist/Wesleyan tradition, music and faith were important parts of family life. He hails from Pulaski, VA, where most of his family still call home. Josh has a Golden Retriever named Leo and he loves to spend time on the lake/river, hiking on local trails, and traveling our beautiful state of Virginia and beyond.
He is excited about this opportunity to serve God alongside the wonderful people of First Presbyterian, Lynchburg!
