Conrad Cornelison

About Conrad

Conrad Cornelison joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bassoon in 2022 at the appointment of DSO Music Director Jader Bignamini, and has served on the music faculty at Wayne State University since 2024. Before joining the DSO, Cornelison served as Principal Bassoon of the Jacksonville Symphony and Adjunct Professor of Bassoon at the University of North Florida. Prior to his work in Jacksonville, he held positions with the Houston Grand Opera, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony of Southeast Texas.

During his summers, Cornelison regularly performs at Festival Mozaic, a chamber music and orchestra festival in San Luis Obispo, California, under the direction of Scott Yoo. He has also performed with the Bellingham Festival of Music and the Saint Augustine Music Festival and has served on the bassoon faculty of Interlochen Bassoon Institute. Cornelison has performed as a soloist and chamber musician on numerous occasions with the San Marco Chamber Music Society and 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. In the Detroit metro area, he performs regularly with the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings as well as the Chamber Soloists of Detroit.

Cornelison holds degrees from The Juilliard School (B.M.) and Rice University's Shepherd School of Music (M.M.) where he studied with Patricia Rogers and Benjamin Kamins, respectively. He is an 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.