Joel Braun is the
new assistant professor of music instruction (double bass) at Ball State
University. He is a graduate of The
Juilliard School, receiving his B.M. in 2005 and M.M. in 2007. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Joel started
double bass studies with Juilliard alumna Sue Stubbs in 1996. In 1999 he
began primary studies with Eugene Levinson at the Aspen Music Festival
and The Juilliard School Pre-College Division.
He has studied additionally with Chris Hanulik, Paul Ellison, Stuart
Sankey, Jack Budrow, and Lawrence Hurst.
Joel is a past recipient of the Aspen Music Festival String
Fellowship. He has been a finalist for
positions in the Kansas City Symphony and the New Jersey Symphony and a
semi-finalist for positions in the New York Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, and
Buffalo Philharmonic. Joel has held
faculty positions in double bass at The Juilliard School Pre-College Division
and the Kaufman Center in New York City.
As a performer, he has concertized with such ensembles as the New York City
Ballet, the Israel Philharmonic, and the New York Philharmonic. From the 2006-2007 season through the
2011-2012 season, Joel was a full time substitute musician with the New York
Philharmonic. During that time he
participated in numerous domestic and international tours, including the
Philharmonic's historic trip to North Korea in 2008. As a recitalist, Joel has premiered Bezhad
Ranjbaran's Elegy for Double Bass and Piano and Manuel Sosa's Tractus V, a
piece written for and dedicated to him.
For more information, see Professor Braun’s personal website.