Joshua Elmore joined the San Francisco Symphony as Principal Bassoon in March 2025. He previously served as principal of the Fort Worth Symphony and has also performed with the Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Chineke! Orchestra. In 2022, he served as principal bassoon for the Gateways Festival Orchestra’s historic Carnegie Hall debut, playing with the first all–African American orchestra to appear at the venue. He also performs as principal at the Bellingham Festival of Music each summer.

A graduate of the Juilliard School as a Kovner Fellow, Elmore studied with Judith LeClair and performed frequently as principal bassoon with the Juilliard Orchestra. He also holds a professional studies certificate from the Colburn School, where he studied with Richard Beene. He has been a fellow at Tanglewood Music Center and Music Academy of the West, and contributed to a Grammy Award–nominated album with the National Orchestra Institute.

Elmore’s musical journey began in Cleveland, where he studied with Mark DeMio and Barrick Stees. As a high school student, he was principal bassoon of the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony and a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. He also toured internationally with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States.

An advocate for music education, Elmore is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of young bassoonists. He collaborated with Alfred Music on an intermediate bassoon method book and served as bassoon faculty at the 2023 Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa, offering masterclasses and coaching young musicians. Outside of music, he enjoys cultivating his plant collection and spending time in nature.