Joseph Conyers
Mary Javian
Micah Jones
Join us for a conversation with three Philadelphia area double bassists (Joseph Conyers, Mary Javian and Micah Jones) as they speak about their background, career portfolio, lessons they've learned and their dreams for the future. Click here to register for the workshop.
Citizen musician, entrepreneur, and youth advocate, Joseph H. Conyers, principal bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra, has spent the whole of his career as a multi-faceted 21st-century artist whose innovative work in music education and access has been recognized internationally. In 2024 he was named The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Education and Community Ambassador, a newly endowed position. Awards for his many celebrated initiatives include the Sphinx Organization’s Medal of Excellence (2019), the organization’s most prestigious recognition; the Theodore L. Kesselman Award from the New York Youth Symphony (2019); the C. Hartman Kuhn Award (2018), the highest honor bestowed upon a musician of The Philadelphia Orchestra; Musical America’s 30 Top Professionals—Innovators, Independent Thinkers, and Entrepreneurs (2018); the Artist Teacher Award from the American String Teacher’s Association (2024); and high honors from the International Society of Bassists. In 2015 he 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 Edgar Meyer. In 2021 Mr. Conyers’s broad-ranging career was featured on an episode of Jim Cotter’s Articulate on PBS, which showcased his work as founder and vision advisor of Project 440, an organization that helps young people use their interest in music to forge new pathways for themselves and ignite change in their communities.
A 2004 Sphinx Laureate, Mr. Conyers has been a bass soloist with numerous orchestras and has for several years been an artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He’s music director of Philadelphia’s historic All-City Orchestra, which for over 70 years has showcased the top high school musicians in the School District of Philadelphia, and he serves on the board of the prestigious Boston University Tanglewood Institute. He is co-host of the podcast Tacet No More with Philadelphia Orchestra Assistant Principal Cello Yumi Kendall. 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 coast to coast, he is also a sought-after pedagogue with former students in orchestras in North America and Europe. He currently serves on the double bass faculty of the Juilliard School.
Mr. Conyers joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2010 as assistant principal bass. He served in the role of acting associate principal bass from 2017 to 2023, and he won the principal position in May 2023. He performs on the “Zimmerman/Gladstone” 1802 Vincenzo Panormo bass, which he has affectionately named “Norma.” Find him on social media @weatherclef.
Mary Javian’s goal as a performer, educator, curator and public speaker is to use music to create positive social change in communities. She has presented around the world in these areas for nearly two decades.
Ms. Javian has toured and performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and other world-class ensembles as a double bassist. She has served as principal bass of the IRIS Orchestra and has recorded with the Philadelphia and IRIS orchestras, the Tanglewood Music Center, Network for New Music, Dolce Suono Ensemble, and the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music. She has performed recitals and given master classes in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Ms. Javian has received fellowships from the Tanglewood Music Center, the National Repertory Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Verbier Festival, where she is now a member of the faculty.
As chair of career studies at Curtis, Ms. Javian has created a dynamic social entrepreneurship curriculum that develops the entrepreneurial and advocacy skills that 21st-century musicians need. Her project-based classes help students create community partnerships that sustain both artistic and social value. Her students have gone on to start their own educational programs, innovative ensembles, and music festivals around the world.
For a decade, Ms. Javian curated a critically acclaimed concert series for LiveConnections at World Cafe Live, featuring boundary-crossing collaborations and emphasizing newly commissioned music blending styles and cultures. She has also curated performances for Intercultural Journeys, an organization that promotes peace and cultural dialogue through music; and works with Curtis students to create concerts for families and new audiences through innovative partnerships with arts organizations across Philadelphia.
Ms. Javian is frequently asked to speak about social entrepreneurship and community-based work, and has contributed to several books on these subjects. She has presented at numerous universities and conservatories; has consulted with organizations such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New World Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Savannah Music Festival; and has led workshops for programs across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Ms. Javian currently serves on the boards of two music education nonprofits, Project 440 and the VOCES8 Foundation in the U.S.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Ms. Javian studied double bass with Harold Robinson. She joined the Curtis faculty in 2011 and assumed her current position in 2016.
Micah Jones is the Branch Director of Settlement Music School's Germantown location. Originally from Harrisburg Pennsylvania, Micah received his Bachelor’s degree in Jazz performance in 1997 from Temple University followed by a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of the Arts in 1999. Micah went on to teach at UArts for 23 years, having served as the Dean of the school of Music as well as Director of Instrumental Performance for nine of those years. He has performed in concert and club settings with Terence Blanchard, Randy Brecker, Patti LaBelle, Ben Vereen, and performed for over thirty years with the Don Glanden Trio. He has arranged and produced two EPs with his wife, vocalist Tiffany Jones, entitled Reincarnation and Him. Micah has enjoyed touring in South Korea, performing in the Daegu International Jazz Festival and recording with South Korean drummer, Wangyul Yang. Locally, he has recorded multiple albums with composer David Bennet Thomas, featuring Joel Frahm and Vic Juris. He has also performed and recorded with saxophonist Ben Schachter’s Trio of Many, and Monkadelphia for many years.