Josh Kantor

Josh Kantor has been the organist at Fenway Park since 2003, performing before during and after games of the Boston Red Sox.

He grew up in Athens, GA, then attended Brandeis University where he was a pianist for a campus improvisational sketch comedy troop, which proved to be excellent training for his future profession. He also played in various bands and venues while making his main living as a librarian at Harvard University's Law Library and Boston University.

He was hired by the Red Sox after auditioning along with a number of others to replace the retiring John Kiley and winning the job. He began on Opening Day in 2003 (which was rained out and re-scheduled for the next day) and has played at every home game since, not missing a single date until the end of the 2015 season.

He plays a variety of styles. One of his peculiarities is that he takes requests from fans via his Twitter accounts and will try to learn a new song on the fly in order to play it during that day's game. He can play just about any style of music, from show tunes to blues to Motown to modern pop or alternative rock. Hip-hop is more of a challenge, as it is a rhythm-based musical form which does not translate as well to the organ. He cites Nancy Faust, former organist for the Chicago White Sox, as a major influence.

Outside of his baseball work, he has played with a number of bands, including The Baseball Project.

Further Reading

• Marah Eakin: "What does it take to be the organist for the Boston Red Sox?", The A.V. Club, August 17, 2016. [1]