Evan Kuhlmann

Bassoon, Contrabassoon

Mark Houston Dalzell and James Dao-Dalzell Chair for Artistic Service to the Community

Member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2018

Evan Kuhlmann was appointed contrabassoon of the LA Phil by Gustavo Dudamel in 2018, shortly after completing his 12th season as Assistant Principal Bassoon and contrabassoon of the Oregon Symphony.

The native Seattleite is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and The Juilliard School, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in bassoon performance with scholastic distinction as a student of Frank Morelli, a Graduate Diploma in music composition as a student of Robert Beaser, and the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music. Kuhlmann also studied bassoon with Francine Peterson, Barrick Stees, and Eric Stomberg and composition with Samuel Jones, Stanley Wolfe, and Philip Lasser.

Kuhlmann has performed with numerous orchestras internationally, including the St. Louis, San Diego, and Seattle symphonies, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, All-Star Orchestra, Grant Park Orchestra, and Orchestra of the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. He has appeared as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall and the Marrowstone Festival Orchestra, and alongside Jethro Tull with the Oregon Symphony. As Principal Bassoon of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Kuhlmann has performed countless premieres, including works of John Adams, Magnus Lindberg, and James MacMillan.

Evan's playing can be heard on many recordings including four Los Angeles Philharmonic albums which received the GRAMMY for Best Orchestral Performance, the Academy Award nominated soundtrack to the film Carol, the commemorative album for the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, and other projects from jazz to rock and beyond. Other instruments Evan occasionally performs and records on include jazz/rock keyboards (not bad), classical piano (not great), accordion (limited), saxophone (amateur), trombone (beginner), and other double reeds such as the nadaswaram and zurna (also not great).

Evan Kuhlmann is a proud Fox Artist. He performs on Fox Model 950 Fast System Contrabassoons.

Follow Evan on Instagram | YouTube | KuhlBassoon.com

You have to fall in love with the journey, because there’s no specific arrival point. By the time you even reach this point of playing [professionally] with an orchestra, you’ve already realized that there’s still so much further to go than you could ever have imagined when you started.

Evan Kuhlmann

It's the deepest, lowest instrument—the bass voice. I mean, you feel so acutely its vibration. The high frequencies are close together, but it’s the lower ones that are almost soothing to play. I love being the subwoofer of the orchestra.

Evan Kuhlmann