Since joining First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia as Director of Music in September 2024, Dr. Bálint Karosi has led the church's music ministry with a vision that brings together worship, sacred music, education, and community engagement. He directs the professional First Presbyterian Choir, plans music for worship throughout the church year, and curates the growing Concerts@First series, presenting programs that range from Renaissance and Baroque masterworks to American contemporary choral music. Recent highlights include performances of J. S. Bach's Cantatas, Hansel’s Organ Concerto, Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Magnificat, the Philadelphia Bach Birthday Festival, and educational concerts featuring First Presbyterian’s historic instruments.

A particular focus of Bálint's ministry is the stewardship and artistic use of First Presbyterian’s remarkable collection of historic keyboard instruments. He has overseen the installation and restoration of several significant European organs, including the eighteenth-century Italian organ "Veronica" and the 1783 Peter Iben cabinet organ, while helping guide the ongoing work on the church's Reuter organ. These instruments have become an integral part of worship, concerts, and educational programs, introducing audiences to the rich traditions of historic organ building and performance.

Alongside his work at First Presbyterian Church, Bálint maintains an active career as a composer, with a particular interest in sacred music. His works include a contemporary reconstruction of J. S. Bach's St. Mark Passion, Psalm Settings for choir, Seven Words of Christ for choir and organ, a Requiem, organ concertos, and numerous works for organ, choir, chamber ensembles, and orchestra. His music reflects a continuing dialogue between historical traditions and contemporary musical language.

Education is also an important part of Bálint's ministry. Through lectures, demonstrations, and collaborations with students and faculty from Philadelphia's musical community, he seeks to make First Presbyterian a place where performers, scholars, and audiences can encounter sacred music, historic instruments, and the living traditions of church music together. His series on the history of the organ and collaborations with neighboring institutions reflect First Presbyterian's commitment to serving both the congregation and the wider community. Bálint also teaches keyboard harmony and historic improvisation at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.

Before coming to Philadelphia, Bálint served as Cantor and Director of Music at Saint Peter's Church in New York City and Director of Music at First Lutheran Church in Boston. He holds degrees from the Yale School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, and the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest.

When he is away from the organ, Bálint is often found with a fishing rod in hand, whether along the Danube and Lake Balaton in Hungary or on rivers, lakes, and coastal waters across the United States. He also enjoys skiing and collecting model trains.