Josh Hart is a dynamic, well-rounded musician and performer who enjoys crossing the boundaries of bassoon performance practice and genre expectations.

Captivated by classical, electroacoustic, jazz, rock, funk, psychedelic, and progressive music alike, he enjoys a wide range of influence.  He aims to combine these eclectic influences with his enthusiasm for psychology, philosophy, mythology, and artistic expression and narrative to create, write, and perform music that will be maximally meaningful and compelling to his audience.

Josh has undergone comprehensive training in classical performance, beginning at the age of 15 as principal of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra for three further years.  He performed amply on principal in collegiate orchestras for six years, gaining valuable collaborative experiences such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra’s residence concert, featuring a student-led, conductor-less orchestra.  A virtuoso soloist, he won a spot as a concerto finalist of BGSU’s 52nd Annual Competitions in Music Performance in 2018, performing André Jolivet’s Concerto for Bassoon, String Orchestra, Harp, and Piano; he was a winner of the Concerto Competition for Chamber Music Workshop in 2007.  Chamber music is another domain of experience and expertise, as he has performed in several wind chamber ensembles and was a finalist in BGSU’s 2018 Douglas Wayland Chamber Music Competition.  Josh has held a position as principal bassoonist with the Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra; he has also performed with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, and the Adrian Symphony Orchestra.  As a contrabassoonist, he has performed with the Adrian Symphony Orchestra, the Manchester Symphony Orchestra, and the Detroit Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Josh has always possessed a strong pension and interest in composition and musical structure.  At WMU, he studied composition extensively, including under the pedagogy of Dr. Lisa Coons.  His electric bassoon sonata Balance received showcase in a masterclass with Rebekah Heller in 2013.  He also served as the arranger for the 2015 season of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony’s Prep Winds program.  Moreover, at BGSU, he wrote Ruminations for the Pitnix trio at Praecepta’s 24/24 event in 2018.

An advocate and performer of contemporary music, Josh Hart has played at length in the electroacoustic and new music domains.  In addition to his work with Rebekah Heller, he has collaborated at the SPLICE Institute for the past two years, performing with Dana Jessen in 2018 on Stephen Hennessey’s vit. Further SPLICE collaborations include his efforts with SEAMUS Award-Winning Composer Benjamin Damann on the progressive metal piece Gnar Kill for ugly bassoon and with Tyler Adamthwaite on Mori.  He also utilizes the Little-Jake electric bassoon pickup, having worked with JacobTV to premiere a performance of Ticking Time on electric bassoon, utilizing distortion and delay pedals.  Josh worked alongside bassoonists Mikaela Kroyer and Kevin Daniel to perform Robert McClure’s marketed recording of Desert Miniatures: Insects at BGSU’s internationally-renowned New Music Festival in 2018.  He has even forayed into jazz, performing Manfred Schoof’s Zwei Impromptus für Fagott und Klavier in 2018.  He has engaged with jazz improvisation and continues to teach himself the genre’s melodic and harmonic language.

As Graduate Assistant of the BGSU Bassoon Studio from 2017 to 2019, Josh has substantial experience in private teaching, especially with undergraduate musicians.  In addition to private and group instruction of the studio members, he served as the conductor and director of the BGSU Bassoon Ensemble. As a facilitator of both WMU’s and BGSU’s Double Reed Day events, he has practical experience educating middle school and high school students; he also taught contrabassoon class at WMU’s annual Double Reed Day.  He enjoys working with students of all ages and is happy to find the ideal learning strategy congruent with any individual student’s goals, talents, and needs.

Josh Hart earned his Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance from Western Michigan University and his Master of Music in Bassoon Performance at Bowling Green State University.  His primary teachers include Susan Nelson, Wendy Rose, Rebecca Noreen, Jason Kramer, and AnnMarie Welton. Additional instruction and masterclasses have been received from manifold teachers, including Frank Morelli, Jeffrey Lyman, Rebekah Heller, Robert Williams, Janis MacKay, and Christopher Weait.  Josh maintains active SoundCloud and YouTube pages, where performances and content are posted for public viewing.  His intellectual interests primarily include psychology, philosophy, political science, neuroscience, mythology, and theology.  In his free time, he enjoys finding new music, craft beer, visual arts, gaming, reading, lifting, running, meeting new people and keeping up with old friends.