Joshua Elmore

Joshua Elmore is the principal bassoonist of the San Francisco Symphony. He has performed with numerous orchestras worldwide, including The Boston Symphony, The Chineke! Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, and the Oregon Symphony. 

Prior to joining the San Francisco Symphony, Joshua held the principal bassoon position of the Fort Worth Symphony for 3 seasons. He completed a Professional Studies Certificate at the Colburn School under the guidance of Richard Beene. Joshua is also a Kovner Fellow graduate of The Juilliard School, where he studied with Judith LeClair and frequently performed as principal bassoonist with The Juilliard Orchestra.

Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Joshua began his bassoon studies at the Cleveland Music Settlement where he studied with Mark DeMio. He furthered his training at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Young Artist Program with Barrick Stees. During high school, he served as principal bassoonist for the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony and was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, performing regularly at Severance Hall. He was also part of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the USA (NYO-USA), touring China and Europe under conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Valery Gergiev, and Christoph Eschenbach.

In addition to his orchestral experience, Joshua has participated in the New York String Orchestra Seminar and has been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Music Academy of the West, and the National Orchestra Institute, where he contributed to a GRAMMY®-nominated orchestral album with NAXOS. He has been featured on NPR’s "From the Top" and received the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. In 2022, he served as Principal Bassoon for the Gateways Music Festival, participating in its Carnegie Hall debut as the first All-African American Orchestra to perform at the venue. Joshua currently plays as principal bassoon of the Bellingham Festival of Music where he spends his summers.