There are few decisions more difficult than choosing to leave a community that has become home.
After five years as Director of Choirs and Vocal Music at Edison High School, Josh Lisner has announced that he will conclude his tenure at the end of the 2025–2026 school year. This fall, he will begin graduate study in Choral Conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), having accepted an admission offer and graduate assistantship.
The decision was not born from a desire to leave Edison. Rather, it grew from a conviction that he wanted to refine his skills and knew it was time to do so.
When Lisner accepted the position at Edison High School in 2021, he hoped to build more than a successful choir program. He envisioned a musical community where students pursued artistic excellence together, where meaningful repertoire encouraged thoughtful conversation, and where rehearsals became places of trust, curiosity, and belonging.
Over the next five years, that vision steadily took shape. Enrollment in the choral program grew from approximately sixty students to nearly one hundred eighty. New ensembles were established, large works were studied and performed, collaborations with neighboring schools expanded, and the Edison Township Choral Festival (co-founded by Lisner and Matthew Lee of J. P. Stevens High School) grew into an annual celebration of choral singing that brought together hundreds of students from across the district.
For Lisner however, the lasting memories are not found in enrollment numbers or concert programs. While he is remarkably proud of the repertoire and musicianship over the years, what will be most cherished is the rehearsal moments, the student check-ins, the memories, laughter, and most of all the moments when students found their voices (literally and metaphorically).
Rome was not built in a day, nor Edison built in a single season. They were built intentionally: one rehearsal, one relationship, and one shared experience at a time.
It is precisely because of that community that this decision proved so difficult.
Graduate school had long been part of Lisner’s professional aspirations. His goal of serving as both a conductor and educator has always required continued study, and each year in the classroom only strengthened his belief that there was still more to learn—not just about conducting, but about rehearsal technique, artistic leadership and management, pedagogy, and the responsibility of building leading communities.
Following a national audition process, Lisner accepted an offer from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he will pursue the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting under the direction of Dr. Joe Miller and Dr. Brett Scott.
For Lisner, the decision was never simply about earning another degree. It was about joining another extraordinary musical community that will continue to challenge, refine, and inspire him. Long recognized as one of the nation’s premier conducting programs and music institutions, CCM offers daily collaboration with internationally respected faculty, exceptional singers, and conductors, providing an environment dedicated to artistic growth and musical excellence. For Lisner, CCM represents another opportunity to learn alongside exceptional conductors, singers, and teachers who share the same pursuit of artistic excellence that first drew him to Westminster years ago. He is remarkably thankful to continue refining his craft as he works toward his long-term goal of serving the profession as both a conductor and educator.
As Lisner prepares for that next chapter, he does so with profound gratitude for the Edison community that entrusted him with his first teaching position. He expressed particular appreciation to the administration of Edison High School for their confidence, encouragement, and willingness to value his perspective throughout his tenure, noting the rare and meaningful opportunity to serve on the committee responsible for selecting his successor alongside school leadership. That level of trust—extending beyond the choir room and into the administrative decision-making process—allowed him to contribute meaningfully to shaping the future of the program he helped build.
Lisner also expressed sincere appreciation to the Edison High School Choral Parent Organization, whose countless volunteer hours, generosity, and unwavering support made many of the program’s most meaningful opportunities possible. Their commitment to students and belief in the arts became an indispensable part of the program’s continued growth.
Lisner shared his enthusiasm for the appointment of Victoria Borrelli as the next Director of Choirs and Vocal Music. Having worked closely with Borrelli throughout her time with the program and at Westminster, he is grateful to know that the students, families, and community he cares so deeply about will be entrusted to someone whose musicianship, character, and dedication he knows firsthand. He looks forward to watching the Edison choral program continue to flourish under her steady and capable hands.
While Lisner’s daily work will soon take him to Cincinnati, the relationships formed in Edison will remain an enduring part of his life and musicianship.
And so, next lives here!
