Citizen musician, social entrepreneur, and youth advocate, Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Bass Joseph H. Conyers is a multi-faceted 21st-century artist whose innovative work on the stage, coupled with his life’s dedication to music education and access, has been recognized internationally. He was honored as a WHYY “Good Soul” in 2025, and in 2024 he was named The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Education and Community Ambassador, a newly endowed position. He joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2010 as assistant principal bass and served as acting associate principal bass from 2017 to 2023; he won the principal position in May 2023. Before joining The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Conyers was a member of the Atlanta Symphony and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, and he began his orchestral career as principal bass of the Grand Rapids Symphony. He’s an alumnus of the Tanglewood Music Center, the Aspen Music Festival and School, Spoleto USA, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and the Brevard Music Center.
A native of Savannah, Georgia, Mr. Conyers received an Honorary Doctor of Music Arts from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2025 and the Malinda P. Sapp Legacy Award from the Grand Rapids Symphony in 2026. His numerous other accolades include the Sphinx Organization’s Medal of Excellence, its most prestigious recognition; the Theodore L. Kesselman Award from the New York Youth Symphony; the C. Hartman Kuhn Award from Yannick Nézet-Séguin and his own Philadelphia Orchestra; Musical America’s 30 Top Professionals; the Artist Teacher Award from the American String Teacher’s Association; and many high honors from the International Society of Bassists. He’s been featured in Ebony magazine (2007), and in 2023 he appeared on the cover of The Strad magazine after being named principal bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra, the first Black musician to hold a playing principal position in the Orchestra’s history. This title also likely makes him the first Black principal of a string section among the world’s greatest orchestras. In 2015 Mr. Conyers was the inaugural recipient of the Young Alumni Award from his alma mater, the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Harold Robinson, former principal bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and famed bass soloist Edgar Meyer.
In 2021 Mr. Conyers’s broad-ranging career was featured on an episode of Jim Cotter’s Articulate on PBS, which highlighted his work as founder and vision advisor of Project 440, a thriving Philadelphia non-profit organization that has helped thousands of high school student use their interest in music to explore new pathways for themselves and ignite change in their communities. For 11 seasons he has been music director of Philadelphia’s famed All City Orchestra, which for nearly 100 years has showcased the top high school musicians in the School District of Philadelphia. He also serves on the board of the prestigious Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
A 2004 Sphinx Laureate, Mr. Conyers has been a bass soloist with numerous orchestras and an artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for many years. He is the artistic director and founder of Dubhe, a collective of some of the most influential chamber musicians who dedicate themselves to creating performances centered on authentic connections and inclusivity. He’s also performed chamber music all over the world with several of today’s most celebrated artists.
An inaugural guest on a pilot taping of National Public Radio’s From the Top (1999), Mr. Conyers is the co-host of the podcast Tacet No More with his colleague Yumi Kendall, assistant principal cello of The Philadelphia Orchestra. The podcast is a landing pad for positive discussions about the classical music industry and the belief in the power of music to better humanity.
A frequent guest clinician and public speaker presenting from Yale University to the Colburn School, Mr. Conyers is a sought-after pedagogue and music coach with former students in orchestras across the Americas and Europe. He currently serves on the double bass faculty of the Juilliard School and Temple University.
Known by his handle @weatherclef, Mr. Conyers maintains a significant social media presence.
Mr. Conyers is immensely grateful for the musical mentors in his life not mentioned above: Rose Marie Smith, Lynne Tobin, David Warshauer, Dan Swaim, Kevin Mauldin, Paula Swart, Erin Freeman, Drew Cahoon, Aaron P. Dworkin, and Albert Laszlo.
Mr. Conyers regularly performs on the “Zimmerman/Gladstone” 1802 Vincenzo Panormo bass, which he has affectionately named “Norma.” He also performs on an Aaron Reiley bass, which he commissioned in 2019, and which he has affectionately named “Miss Riley.”