Conrad Cornelison, Principal Bassoon, Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Conrad Cornelison
Principal Bassoon | Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Bassoon Faculty | Wayne State University

Conrad Cornelison joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bassoon in 2022 at the appointment of Music Director Jader Bignamini. He previously served in the same position with the Jacksonville Symphony from 2017 to 2022 and has held positions with the Houston Grand Opera, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony of Southeast Texas. He has appeared as a guest musician with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Houston Ballet, and San Antonio Symphony, among others. In addition to his performances with the DSO, he has served as bassoon faculty at Wayne State University since 2024.

As a chamber musician, Conrad performs regularly around the metro Detroit area. He is a core member of the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings and has appeared with the Chamber Soloists of Detroit. Additionally, he has performed on numerous occasions with the San Marco Chamber Music Society and Saint Augustine Music Festival.

During his summers, Mr. Cornelison regularly performs at Festival Mozaic, a chamber music and orchestra festival in San Luis Obispo, California, under the direction of Scott Yoo.  In addition, he regularly serves on the bassoon faculty of the Interlochen Bassoon Institute. Mr. Cornelison has appeared as a performer on the PBS series “Now Hear This” by Great Performances. Many of his performances with the Jacksonville Symphony and Festival Mozaic have been broadcast on NPR's Performance Today.

Cornelison holds degrees from The Juilliard School (BM) and Rice University's Shepherd School of Music (MM) where he studied with Patricia Rogers and Benjamin Kamins, respectively. He is a proud alumnus of the Interlochen Arts Academy where he studied with Eric Stomberg, and his early bassoon studies were with Matthew Schuler and Dan Duncan. He is a proud father and lives in Troy, Michigan with his wife, Xiaodi, his daughter, Theia, and their dog, Toby.