Josh Middleton is a musical director, accordionist, composer and multi-instrumentalist based in London. As a professional accordionist Josh specialises in Klezmer and East European Folk styles, however, he also plays a wide range of styles such as English/Scottish/Irish Folk, French Chanson, Manouche Jazz, as well as a range of other world traditional styles. He has been performing music professionally since the age of 14, graduated from the School of Oriental and African Studies with a first class degree in Ethnomusicology, and has studied Bulgarian music at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts, Plovdiv. Josh has worked with many Klezmer and Balkan music ensembles such as She’koyokh and The London Klezmer Quartet, has shared a stage with Klezmorim such as Frank London and Merlin Shepherd, taught at Klezfest London alongside Klezmer scholars such as Alan Bern and Joel Rubin, recorded for artists as diverse as DJ Vadim and Kadialy Kouyate, and toured Europe as accordionist with renowned Afghan singer Elaha Soroor.
Josh has also worked as a composer and Musical Director on the Puppet Theatre Barge since 2011, performing and writing music for puppet shows. He has extensive experience composing and performing music for the stage, writing and touring with puppet companies such as Movingstage, String Theatre, Mirth and Misery, Drew Colby, the Bus King Theatre and Lost & Found Puppet Co.. He has worked with theatre companies such as Footfall Theatre and Nick Cassenbaum Ltd, and written and performed live music for story telling with The Embers Collective and for live film scores with The Cabinet of Living Cinema.
Theatre Credits include:
Indecent at the Menier Chocolate Factory (2020, 2021)
Musical Director credits include:
Watch on the Rhine at the Donmar Warehouse (2022-2023), Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Pig at Jw3 (2023-2024) [Offie Nominated - Musical Director]
The Selfish Giant at The Puppet Theatre Barge (2023-2024)
The Insect Circus at The Puppet Theatre Barge (2024)
He has also toured extensively as MD and accordionist with String Theatre (Tunisia, Turkey, Russia, Hungary, Serbia), Nick Cassenbaum’s Bubble Shmeisis (USA, Malta) and his ensemble Don Kipper (Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy) which has received much critical acclaim (**** The Guardian, **** The Evening Standard).
He presents world music podcast ‘The Wind The Shakes’ from Brush and Bow. You can listen HERE.
In addition to accordion, Josh also plays keys, guitar, Irish whistle, harp, trumpet, Appalachian Dulcimer, Bulgarian bagpipe, and has a great passion for singing folk songs in English and Bulgarian!
He loves the delicate counterpoint between two or even three clashing patterns on a person.
He is also sometimes a pirate.