Born in Israel, Joshua Epstein took his first violin lessons with Yariv Ezrahi in Tel-Aviv. He studied musical theory with composer Paul Ben-Haim and mathematics at Jerusalem University. In 1959, he went to Brussels to study with Arthur Grumiaux at the Royal Conservatory. He perfected himself at the Queen Elisabeth College with André Gertler. Joshua Epstein is a prize-winner of the Sibelius Competition (1965), the Carl Flesch Competition (1968) and the Queen Elisabeth Competition (1967 & 1971).

As a soloist, he has performed with the Oslo Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, RIAS Berlin, Saarländischer Rundfunk, NDR Hamburg, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Bayerische Staatsoper, Nürnberger Symphoniker, Berliner Symphoniker etc.. From 1972 until 1978, he was the leader of the Bartholdy Quartet and from 1988 until 1993 the artistic director of the Saarbrücker Kammermusiktage.

Joshua Epstein has started his career as a pedagogue as the assistant of André Gertler at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover. In 1974, he became a professor at the Musikhochschule Würzburg and in 1978 at the Hochschule für Musik in Saarbrücken. He gives numerous master classes in different countries.