Joshua Balogh and Christopher Hertz, officially hired on August 26, 2025, stepped into the positions of Bloomington North Orchestra directors this Tuesday. These positions have been vacant since early May 2025, at the end of the 2024-25 school year. With the open positions and lack of teachers, orchestra students were left uncertain, and concerned about the future of the Hoosier Youth Philharmonic (HYP) program.
“It felt like we weren’t put at the standard that other classes in the arts department had,” said Yashvi Tailor, a member of the HYP for 4 years.
Similarly, Tailor expressed disappointment in the transition period for the job search.
Mr. Joshua Balogh graduated University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in the spring of 2024. Balogh shared his interest in the Bloomington area began when he launched his search for his first position at Detroit Catholic Central High School in Novi, Michigan.
“I visited Bloomington and felt like everyone was super nice. Loved the area; loved the people,” said Balogh.
Balogh shared that his inspiration to teach orchestra emerged from his experience and community found in his school music programs.
“I was more shy and music was really a way of finding my voice as a person and really how I found my group of people and got out of my shell,” said Balogh.
Mr. Balogh’s goal is to be able to do that for his students, using a student-led approach to his teaching at the high-school level.
“I want my students to not only grow as musicians, but even more as people during rehearsal”.
Balogh wants to cultivate a ‘feedback-forward’ learning environment for his students, where each student’s opinion and voice is heard and implemented.
“My philosophy for teaching music is that we need to listen to each other, not only in our own sections, but as an ensemble,” said Balogh.
Balogh looks forward to bonding with the students and building closer relationships with his peers. Mr. Balogh expressed that the most gratifying facet of teaching music is being able to make more than music, but to make friendships and blend as an ensemble.
Replacing Juli Enzinger; the long-term assistant director for the MCCSC Orchestra program, will be Mr. Christopher Herz; an elementary orchestra teacher at Summit Elementary. Herz has been teaching for MCCSC for 5 years, also with experience at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
Herz mentioned Enzinger’s ‘incredible commitment’ to her students, and his aspiration to live up to her legacy.
“Ms. Enzinger, absolutely amazing conductor, and has done so much for the program…I’ve got big shoes to fill,” said Herz.
Herz said that Ms. Enzinger had been a phenomenal supporter, and always provided guidance.
Herz shared that his stepping stone to teach music comes from the simple notion of helping.
Herz shared that he’s enjoyed reconnecting with former elementary students that went on to join the HYP.
“Seeing how much they’ve grown and how engaged they are with music and how committed they are to not just the program but pursuing their instrument is so gratifying,” said Herz.
Augustine Greulich contributed to this story.
