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 various fringe theatre companies, and closely with Nick Cassenbaum Ltd since 2014, written and performed live music for story telling with The Embers Collective and for live film scores with The Cabinet of Living Cinema.
He has also toured extensively as MD and accordionist with String Theatre (UK, Hungary, Serbia, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey), Nick Cassenbaum’s Bubble Shmeisis (UK, USA, Malta) and his ensemble Don Kipper (UK, 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.
2026
Dick Whittingberg Gets Into A Pickle (Plotnek Productions/JW3, 2026) Musical Director/Performer
JW3’s Barmy Mitzvah (JW3/touring 2026), Musical Director/Performer
Bubble Shmeisis (Summerhall, 2026), Musical Director/Performer
The Three Little Wolves (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2026), Composer/Musical Director
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2026), Composer/Musical Director
2025
Cinderella and the Matzo Ball (Plotnek Productions/JW3, 2025), Musical Director/Performer [Fringe Theatre award nominated - Music]
Machloket (Take Stock Exchange, touring 2025) Musical Director/Performer
Revenge: After the Levoyah (Plotnek Productions/The Yard, Soho Theatre, 2025) Music Supervisor
The Hare and the Tortoise (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2025) Composer/Musical Director
2024
Goldie Frocks and the Bear Mitzvah (Plotnek Productions/JW3, 2024) Musical Director/Performer
Captain Sandy & The Sea Monster (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2024,) Composer/Musical Director
The Investigation (V & A Museum, 2024) Musical Director, Performer
Revenge: After the Levoyah (Soho Theatre, 2024, Summerhall, Edinburgh 2024) Music Supervisor PICK OF THE FRINGE, FRINGE FIRST AWARD
2023
Broigus (The Pleasance London, 2023) Performer (co-devising)
Flight of the Phoenix (Wales Millenium Centre, 2023) Performer (co-devising)
Worlds Apart: A Tale from Yener Velt (Apple Cart Arts, 2023) Musical Director/Performer
Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Pig (Plotnek Productions/JW3, 2023) Musical Director/Performer OFFIE NOMINATED: MUSICAL DIRECTION
Shpeil (Work in Progress, The Royal Court, 2023) Musical Director/Performer
The Selfish Giant (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2023) Composer/Musical Director
2022
Watch on the Rhine (The Donmar Warehouse, 2022) Musical Director
The Red Balloon (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2022) Composer/Musical Director
2021
Indecent (The Menier Chocolate Factory, 2021) Performer
2015-2020
The Crow’s Tale (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2020) Composer/Musical Director
The Insect Circus (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2019) Composer/Musical Director
Bubble Shmeisis (2017-2019) UK (Battersea Arts Centre, Norwich Arts Centre, Cast Doncaster, Alphabetti Theatre Newcastle, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Bike Shed Exeter) USA (Detroit Shvitz), MALTA, (Valletta)
The Death Puppet Klezmer Jam (UK tour 2015 - 2018) Musical Director/Performer
The Butterfly’s Spell (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2018) Composer/Musical Director
Sound of Mind (The Cabinet of Living Cinema, JW3, 2017)
The Little Christmas Tree (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2017) Composer/Musical Director
Modern Times (The Cabinet of Living Cinema, touring 2016)
Theatre of the Wandering West (The Cabinet of Living Cinema, touring 2015)
End Games (The Puppet Theatre Barge, 2015) Composer/Musical Director