Joseph Vranas is a conductor, composer, and music educator in Los Angeles, California. He is the Artistic Director of the Gay Freedom Band of Los Angeles, conductor of the GFBLA Concert Band, and a conductor of the Camino Nuevo Youth Orchestra as a part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA Program. His passion for community and education has been central to his career, and he has held conducting positions with the Saturday Conservatory of Music and Harmony Project's Youth Orchestras and Wind Ensembles, and assisted music and art programs at Bell High School through EduCare.
Joseph’s diverse conducting career has taken him to stages across the United States and internationally. He has appeared as a conductor with the Sofia Philharmonic in Bulgaria, the Pride Bands Alliance national conference in Denver, the Pacific Artists Collective in Oregon, and the Maryland Chamber Winds in Virginia. As a composer, Joseph has written for a wide range of settings, including concert hall, ballet, film, and theatre. His works have been performed in Bolivia, France, Germany, and across the US, earning him recognition from the Houston 48 Hour Film Competition, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, the Bolivian Music Festival, and the Cannes Film Festival.
Joseph holds Masters degrees in Composition and Trumpet Performance from the University of Oregon, and studied Composition and Music Education at Sam Houston State University. With more than 10 years of experience teaching high brass, music theory, and music history to students ranging from elementary school to college, he believes strongly in the transformative power of music education. His dedication has been recognized by the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and the City of Bell.
