Joseph Peeples is the newest of 5 staff organists at the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, where he participates in the daily recital series on the 206-rank Æolian-Skinner organ and accompanies the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square on the choir’s weekly radio and TV broadcast, “Music and the Spoken Word.” His duties also include accompanying and teaching at the choir’s training school, the Chorale at Temple Square.

Prior to his appointment, Peeples was University Organist at California Lutheran University in his hometown of Thousand Oaks, California, and Organist at First United Methodist Church in Santa Barbara. Joseph also served as a frequent guest organist for The Church of Our Saviour Episcopal Parish in San Gabriel, California, and was previously organist for Speedway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Speedway, Indiana, and the Brigham Young University Concert Choir and Men’s Chorus.

Over the years, Joseph has taught a wide variety of courses in music theory and musicianship at California Lutheran, Pepperdine, Indiana, and Brigham Young universities. He is currently on the faculty for the annual Brigham Young University Organ Workshop.

Joseph has completed doctoral coursework in organ performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied organ with Janette Fishell and Christopher Young, improvisation and sacred music with Bruce Neswick, conducting with Walter Huff, and harpsichord with Elisabeth Wright.  He received a Master of Music in organ performance from Brigham Young University, studying organ with Don Cook and Douglas Bush, conducting with Rosalind Hall, and carillon with Don Cook.  He also received a Bachelor of Art degree from California State University Channel Islands.

In addition to his responsibilities on Temple Square, Joseph maintains an active organ studio and is a scientific programmer in the optical thin-film industry. Joseph and his wife are proud parents of two sons.