Joshua Rifkin, born on April 22, 1944, in New York City, is a renowned American conductor, pianist, and musicologist. He received his Bachelor of Science from the Juilliard School in 1964, studying under Vincent Persichetti, and furthered his education at New York University, the University of Göttingen, and Princeton University, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts in 1969. Rifkin also studied with notable figures such as Gustave Reese, Arthur Mendel, Lewis Lockwood, Milton Babbitt, Ernst Oster, and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Rifkin gained international acclaim for his performances and scholarly work spanning a wide range of music from Monteverdi to Stravinsky, Bach to Richard Strauss, and Mozart to Gershwin. He is particularly noted for his research in Renaissance and Baroque music. Rifkin became widely known to the public for his role in reviving ragtime music in the 1970s, notably through his critically acclaimed recordings of Scott Joplin's piano rags for Nonesuch Records. These recordings were immensely successful, with the first album becoming Nonesuch's first million-selling record.

In the classical music community, Rifkin is perhaps best known for his controversial thesis on Johann Sebastian Bach's vocal music, proposing that Bach's choral works were intended to be performed with only one singer per part. Although initially met with skepticism, this theory has gained influence over time.

Rifkin has led The Bach Ensemble since 1978 and has conducted numerous prestigious orchestras worldwide, including the English Chamber Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Concert Orchestra, among others. His contributions to early music include significant productions and premieres, such as Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" and Alessandro Scarlatti's "Venere, Amore e Ragione." Rifkin has also taught at several universities, including Brandeis, Harvard, New York, and Yale, further cementing his impact on both performance and musicological scholarship.