About Us
The all-volunteer Poulsbo Community Orchestra was established in March, 2014 as a not-for-profit, cultural organization. Joel Wallgren is the Executive Director and is assisted by committees of volunteers comprised of both musicians and friends of the orchestra from the community. 

The mission of the Poulsbo Community Orchestra is to provide opportunities for musicians, both young and old, to play beautiful orchestral music together year-round, to perform free concerts for the North Kitsap community, and to enhance our collective cultural experience.

Musicians with at least two years recent playing experience and age 16 and older may apply to participate in the orchestra.     Regular attendance at scheduled rehearsals is required to participate.  A registration fee is required and scholarships for young musicians are available.

MUSIC DIRECTOR

joseph pollard white

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Joseph Pollard White grew up in New York and did his undergraduate work at the Eastman School of Music. His studies included viola with Heidi Castleman, violin with Isador Saslav, composition with Wayne Barlow, choral conducting with Robert DeCormier and orchestral conducting with David Effron and Taavo Virkhaus. He earned his Master of Music in Viola Performance at the Indiana University School of Music where he studied with Georges Janzer. After advanced training in conducting at the Pierre Monteux-Domain Seminar in Hancock, Maine as a student of Charles Bruck, he completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Washington where he was a student of Robert Feist.

​An extremely versatile musician, Dr. White has performed across the United States and Europe, including the Spoleto Festival, Virginia Opera, Bronx Opera, Connecticut Philharmonic, Pittsburgh String Consort, Swiss Radio Orchestra of Lugano and the Martinu Symphony Orchestra in the Czech Republic. A long- time resident of Seattle, he has worked with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Seattle Chamber Players, Philharmonia Northwest and Northwest Mahler Festival. He has served as Music Director of the Rainier Symphony and Seattle Civic Light Opera.

Executive DIRECTOR

Joel Wallgren

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Joel Wallgren joined the Poulsbo Community Orchestra as Executive Director in July 2020. ​A Poulsbo, Washington native, Joel has been involved in music in his communities since he was 11 years old. After graduating from North Kitsap High School, he attended Northwestern University where he studied clarinet performance with Russell Dagon and Steven Cohen. But he couldn’t be kept from the Pacific Northwest for long and moved back to the area after finishing his studies in Evanston, Illinois.
 
As a freelance and community musician in the area, Joel keeps his commitment to life-long music making. The importance of performing and collaborative music-making in his communities is paramount. Between Seattle and Tacoma, Joel can be found playing the clarinet and the occasional bass clarinet in professional ensembles and community groups alike.
 
Joel is also dedicated to music education. From his incredible experiences in elementary school through high school, he was keenly aware that music is something where you never stop learning or growing. During his senior year of high school, he volunteered his time helping Bryce Adams with beginning band at Poulsbo Elementary. A product of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra program, Joel had the great fortune to be able to expand his music education with the country’s largest independent youth orchestra. He keeps education at the fore, spending time at local schools to help coach young and aspiring clarinetists: a small gesture to give back to the community that supported him from the very beginning.