Joseph Conyers

Joseph H. Conyers was appointed assistant principal bassist of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2010. He joined Philadelphia after tenures with the Atlanta Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, and Grand Rapids Symphony where he served as principal bass. A 2004 Sphinx Competition laureate, he has performed with many orchestras as soloist. An avid chamber musician and artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Joseph has performed in numerous chamber music festivals throughout the world. He is the inaugural recipient of the Young Alumni Award from his alma mater, the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Hal Robinson and Edgar Meyer. A formidable advocate for music education, he is executive director of Project 440 – an organization that engages, educates, and inspires young musicians, providing them with the career and life skills they need to develop into tomorrow’s civic-minded, entrepreneurial leaders. Additionally, he is the music director of the All City Orchestra which showcases the top musicians of the School District of Philadelphia. Project 440 partners with the School District in providing its curriculum in college and career preparedness, social entrepreneurship, as well as community engagement and interactive performance. Joseph is a frequent guest clinician and has presented across the country from Yale University, New England Conservatory, and The Colburn School, to the University of Georgia. Joseph has served on the Board of Overseers of the Curtis Institute of Music, the board of the American String Teachers Association, and currently sits on the National Advisory Board for the Atlanta Music Project. He performs on the “Zimmerman/Gladstone” 1802 Vincenzo Panormo Double Bass which he has affectionately named “Norma.”