Double Bassists Joseph H. Conyers and Rex Surany Join Juilliard Faculty

NEW YORK –– Joseph H. Conyers, assistant principal bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Rex Surany, principal bassist of the Metropolitan Opera, have been appointed to the Juilliard string faculty beginning this spring semester. They will be joining Juilliard’s other distinguished bass teachers: Timothy Cobb, Harold Robinson, and Eugene Levinson.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Joseph Conyers and Rex Surany will be joining the faculty to teach and mentor the next generation of bassists here at Juilliard,” Provost and Dean Ara Guzelimian said. Mr. Conyers is the associate principal bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra and an advocate for music education. Rex Surany is principal bassist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and has been working alongside bassist Harold Robinson in a shared studio at Juilliard, a model that will continue to be an option for students. Both teachers are now accepting a roster of full-time students in the College Division.

Juilliard’s string department is the largest department within the music division, representing about one-third of the total student enrollment. The faculty includes internationally acclaimed soloists, chamber and orchestral musicians, and leading pedagogues as well as the world-renowned Juilliard String Quartet.

About Joseph H. Conyers
Joseph H. Conyers was appointed assistant principal bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2010 after tenures with the Atlanta Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, and Grand Rapids Symphony, where he was principal bass. He has served as acting associate principal bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2017. Conyers has performed with numerous orchestras as soloist across the country. An avid chamber musician and artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, he has performed internationally. Recognized for his artistic and social entrepreneurial endeavors, awards include the Sphinx Organization’s Medal of Excellence (2019)—the organization’s most prestigious recognition; the C. Hartman Kuhn award (2018)—the highest honor bestowed upon a musician of the Philadelphia Orchestra; and Musical America’s 30 Top Professionals – Innovators, Independent Thinkers, and Entrepreneurs (2018). In 2015, Conyers was the inaugural recipient of the Young Alumni Award from his alma mater, the Curtis Institute of Music. A formidable advocate for music education, he is the executive director 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. Additionally, he is the music director of Philadelphia’s All City Orchestra, which showcases the top high school musicians of the School District of Philadelphia. Conyers is a frequent guest clinician and lecturer presenting across the country.

About Rex Surany
Rex Surany is the principal bassist of the Metropolitan Opera. Surany’s musical education began with piano lessons when he was 7 years old. After two years, he switched exclusively to the double bass, which he studied with Robert Peterson of Trenton, N.J. In 2002, upon completing the Vance Progressive Repertoire with Peterson, Surany proceeded to study Rabbath Method with Nicholas Walker, professor of double bass at Ithaca College, and joined the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra under the direction of Joseph Primavera. In 2006, he attended The Colburn School in Los Angeles, where he studied with David Allen Moore and Paul Ellison. After a year of study, he was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music, where, in addition to focusing on double bass performance with Harold Robinson and Edgar Meyer, he pursued his interests in composing, transcribing, and arranging, that continue today. In May 2012, Surany joined the New York Philharmonic as a temporary member. During this time, he traveled to Berlin to learn more about the Berlin Philharmonic’s playing traditions, and to study German bow technique with Janne Saksala and Matthew McDonald; BPO's first principal bassists. In 2014 Rex joined the Metropolitan Opera as a section player, and after a year, he won the principal position, the position he currently holds. He has been awarded numerous accolades in solo and orchestral playing. In 2009, he was awarded second prize of the International Society of Double bassists Orchestral Competition. During the following summer, he won third prize of the 2010 Bradetich Foundation International Solo Competition. In 2011, he was the second prize-winner at the ISB Solo Competition. Surany has also performed professionally with many orchestras including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, American Ballet Theatre, Philadelphia Orchestra, the Haddonfield Symphony, and the Classical Tahoe Orchestra. He has given recitals and master classes at the University of Southern California, Ithaca College, Curtis Institute, Brigham Young University, and Fort Lewis College.

About The Juilliard School
Founded in 1905, The Juilliard School is a world leader in performing arts education. Juilliard’s mission is to provide the highest caliber of artistic education for gifted musicians, dancers, and actors from around the world so that they may achieve their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens.

Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, drama (acting and playwriting), and music (classical, jazz, historical performance, and vocal arts). Currently more than 800 artists from 42 states and 44 countries are enrolled at The Juilliard School, where they appear in over 700 annual performances in the school’s five theaters; at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen Halls and at Carnegie Hall; as well as other venues around New York City, the country, and the world.

Beyond its New York campus, Juilliard is defining new directions in global performing arts education for a range of learners and enthusiasts through The Tianjin Juilliard School and K-12 educational curricula.