Joel braun

Joel Braun is Associate Professor of Double Bass at the University of Texas at Austin and Assistant Principal Bass of the Eastern Festival of Music Orchestra, performing under the direction of Gerard Schwarz. His orchestral career has included appearances with distinguished ensembles across the globe, among them the New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Israel Philharmonic. He previously held a position with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and continues to be active as a soloist and chamber musician, appearing at universities, conservatories, and festivals throughout the United States.

A dedicated advocate for new music, Braun has worked closely with contemporary composers and has given premieres of works by Olga Magidenko, Rain Worthington, Manuel Sosa, and Behzad Ranjbaran. His debut solo recording, Unaccompanied, was released by Centaur Records in 2022 and includes his original work Awake, which received honorable mention in the unaccompanied category of the 2022 ISB/David Walter Composition Competition. Recognized as an accomplished teacher, he has led master classes at institutions including the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Mannheim, Germany; the Universidad Nacional de Música in Lima, Perú; and Indiana University. Before joining the faculty at Texas, he taught at Ball State University and The Juilliard School Pre-College Division. Braun studied with Eugene Levinson at The Juilliard School, where he earned his Pre-College Diploma, Bachelor of Music, and Master of Music degrees.