Joseph Conyers (’04) Receives 2024 ASTA Artist Teacher Award

Curtis congratulates Joseph Conyers (Double Bass ’04), principal bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra, who received the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) 2024 Artist Teacher Award. The honor, awarded annually by the ASTA National Board of Directors to a pedagogue of renowned stature from North America, was presented to him by previous ASTA president Kristen Pellegrino at the national conference in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this spring. 

“Being part of this musical family is one of the most important things in my life because of what it has done for me and also because I get to work with young people and encourage them to know that in a world of turmoil,” said Mr. Conyers in his acceptance speech. “There is a place of solace that we can all find together, and that is in the music that we make. Thank you so much for all you do, and know that if you are asked how you are changing the world, you can say I am doing it one student at a time.”

Mr. Conyers was appointed assistant principal bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2010 and served as acting associate principal bass from 2017 until his appointment as principal during the orchestra’s 2023–24 season. He currently serves on the faculties of Temple University and the Juilliard School and is the music director of Philadelphia’s famed All City Orchestra, which showcases the top orchestral of students in the School District of Philadelphia. He is also the founder and director of Project 440, an inspiring nonprofit designed to provide young musicians with the tools to help them use their passion for music to fuel their purpose in life, and co-host of the podcast Tacet No More, with fellow Curtis alumna Yumi Kendall (Cello ’04).

Read about Mr. Conyer’s award at the Violin Channel and The Strad.

Visit Joseph Conyer’s official website HERE.