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 joined the board of the Walden School in 2025 to support their outstanding summer programs for creative musicians.

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 in 2013 by Lexington Symphony, Lexington Pops Chorus, and the Master Singers of Lexington for the 300th anniversary of the founding of the town of Lexington. In 2026 John arranged Freedom's first movement, "Crisis", for SATB chorus and large concert band. This was performed by Lexington Pops Chorus and the Lexington Bicentennial Band on Patriot's Day in April 2026 to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday.  

John is on the web at www.tarrh.com.