A native of New York, Joseph Pollard White did his undergraduate work at the Eastman School of Music, where his studies included viola with Heidi Castleman, violin with Isador Saslav, orchestral conducting with David Effron and Taavo Virkhaus, and choral conducting with Robert DeCormier. He earned his Master of Music in Viola Performance at the Indiana University School of Music, where he studied with Georges Janzer. After advanced training in conducting at the Pierre Monteux-Domain Seminar in Hancock, Maine, as a student of Charles Bruck, he completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Washington, where he was a student of Robert Feist.

As conductor and violist, Dr. White has performed across the United States and Europe, including the Spoleto Festival, Virginia Opera, Bronx Opera, Connecticut Philharmonic, Pittsburgh String Consort, Swiss Radio Orchestra of Lugano, Switzerland and the Martinu Symphony Orchestra of Zlin, Czech Republic. A longtime resident of the Pacific Northwest, he has worked with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Seattle Chamber Players and Northwest Mahler Festival and served as Music Director of the Rainier Symphony and Seattle Civic Light Opera.

In addition to the concert stage and orchestra pit, he has worked extensively in the recording field, especially music for films. Recent projects have included School for Scoundrels, One Hour Photo, Bring it On, Air Bud, La Dona Barbara, and the Academy Award–nominated documentary Legacy. Dr. White is also active as a composer. Recent projects include a Concerto for Oboe d'amore and Orchestra, several pieces for string orchestra, and music for the play Actus Fidei by Steven Breese, written for the Jamestown 400th anniversary celebrations.

Dr. White has taught at Northern Kentucky University, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia.