Berklee Motion Picture Orchestra
May 2024 - May 2025 : Percussion Manager
June 2025 - present : Music Director
The Berklee Motion Picture Orchestra (BMPO) is a cross-collegiate organization and the largest student-run orchestra at Berklee College of Music, comprising a performing ensemble of approximately 70 musicians drawn from a wide range of majors and disciplines. Each semester, BMPO produces a large-scale concert centered on film music arranged by students, offering emerging composers and arrangers the opportunity to hear their work performed by a full symphonic ensemble in a professional concert setting. Through rigorous weekly rehearsals and high-profile public performances, BMPO has presented music from iconic franchises and composers, including Batman, Interstellar, The Matrix, Star Wars, and numerous Disney productions. These performances emphasize cinematic authenticity, technical precision, and narrative-driven musical storytelling, reflecting the ensemble’s commitment to excellence in film music performance.
As the leader of both BMPO and the Audire Soundtrack Collective, Joshua Tan played a pivotal role in building bridges between orchestral and choral communities at Berklee. Recognizing the expressive potential of combining choir and orchestra — particularly within the cinematic repertoire—Joshua initiated and facilitated cross-ensemble collaborations between BMPO and the Audire choir. He strategically selected repertoire that required integrated choral and orchestral forces, creating opportunities for singers and instrumentalists to collaborate in large-scale productions that mirrored professional scoring sessions and live-to-picture concert formats.
Joshua coordinated joint rehearsal schedules, aligned artistic goals between the ensembles, and oversaw score preparation to ensure seamless integration between orchestral and choral parts. He worked closely with student arrangers and choir leadership to adapt and prepare scores that balanced vocal writing with orchestral texture, ensuring clarity, impact, and stylistic authenticity. These collaborations not only expanded the musical scope of BMPO’s performances but also elevated Audire’s choral program by embedding singers within symphonic, media-driven works rarely accessible in traditional collegiate ensembles.
Through this cross-ensemble leadership, Joshua fostered a collaborative ecosystem that emphasized shared ownership, interdisciplinary learning, and community-building across Berklee’s performance landscape. By uniting BMPO and Audire in joint productions, he created large-scale, immersive musical experiences that strengthened institutional collaboration, enriched student education, and set a new standard for student-led orchestral and choral performances centered on music for visual media.
