John M. Tarrh has been the Assistant Conductor of Lexington Pops Chorus since 2010. He served as Acting Conductor for the Fall 2023 term while chairing a committee to select the chorus's next permanent Musical Director.

John, a Lexington-based composer, received his musical training at New England Conservatory of Music, where he earned a Master’s degree in Music Composition studying with Michael Gandolfi and a Master’s in Music Theory studying with Deborah Stein. In addition to singing with Lexington Pops Chorus, John played percussion with the New Philharmonia Orchestra of Newton, MA, for 30 years and provided leadership for their Board of Trustees for two decades.  He currently serves as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair on the board of Lexington Symphony, and as Treasurer on the board of the Oceanarium and Education Center in Bar Harbor, Maine. He also provides senior financial and management consulting services to the business community.

John has written music for a variety of ensembles including full orchestra and concert band as well as chamber and solo works, in addition to vocal works. He is perhaps best known for his second symphony, Freedom, which was performed by Lexington Symphony, Lexington Pops Chorus, and the Master Singers of Lexington for the 2013 celebration of the 300th anniversary of the founding of the town of Lexington. He is on the web at www.tarrh.com.