Joseph Kesting is a junior at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He has a number of passions, but his greatest is the piano. He started playing at seven years of age. Joseph received first place honors for performances composed by Frederic Chopin and Felix Mendelssohn at the Crescendo International Competition two years in a row and has performed at the winner's recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2019 and 2020. Joseph was also awarded Grand Prize by the Rising Talents Music Fest in March 2019 and performed at The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies at Columbia University. In addition, Joseph was awarded third place in the 2019 global online Great Composers Competition for the Best Chopin Performance as well as Best Rachmaninoff Performance. Joseph enjoys playing the piano in a variety of settings including his high school concert band and chamber orchestra. He also greatly enjoys sharing his love of music with the residents of local nursing homes throughout the year. Aside from his passion for the piano and music, Joseph engages in various athletic activities. Joseph is a member of the Notre Dame High School lacrosse team and also holds a lifeguard certification. He works part time as a lifeguard at his local YMCA.
