SF Symphony Appoints New Principal Bassoon Joshua Elmore and Section Percussionist Stan Muncy

Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony have appointed two new musicians: Principal Bassoon Joshua Elmore and Section Percussionist Stan Muncy. 

Principal Bassoon Joshua Elmore officially joins the San Francisco Symphony in late March, beginning with the March 27, 29–30 program with conductor Juraj Valčuha and violinist Gil Shaham. Elmore will also appear with the Orchestra as guest principal bassoonist this week on the February 21–23 program with Esa-Pekka Salonen, performing on Xavier Muzik’s Strange Beasts and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. He succeeds Stephen Paulson, who served as Principal Bassoon for 47 years, from 1977 to 2024, before stepping into the Associate Principal Bassoon role at the beginning of the 2024-25 season. Elmore is currently a member of the Fort Worth Symphony, where he has been Principal Bassoon since 2021.  

Section Percussionist Stan Muncy began in his new role with the San Francisco Symphony in November 2024. Muncy has performed as a substitute musician with the SF Symphony since 2010 before joining the Orchestra this season. Prior to that, he was also a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2001 to 2002.  

Elmore shared: “I am truly honored to be joining the San Francisco Symphony. As a young musician, I always found myself listening to and deeply admiring this remarkable orchestra and am so thrilled to be able to contribute to the beautiful music making that happens at Davies Symphony Hall. Joining the San Francisco Symphony is a pivotal moment in my career, giving me an unparalleled opportunity to grow as an artist and collaborate with a community of exceptional musicians who will inspire and challenge me to be the best that I can be.” 

Muncy shared:  “I am elated to be joining the SF Symphony family after 14 years as an extra! Over that time, I’ve formed strong friendships with my colleagues in the orchestra. I feel immense gratitude to spend the rest of my career with these magnificent musicians.” 

Joshua Elmore, Principal Bassoon  

Joshua Elmore is the newly appointed Principal Bassoon of the San Francisco Symphony. He currently serves as principal of the Fort Worth Symphony and has also performed with the Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Chineke! Orchestra. In 2022, he served as principal bassoon for the Gateways Festival Orchestra’s historic Carnegie Hall debut, playing with the first all-African American orchestra to appear at the venue. He also performs as principal at the Bellingham Festival of Music each summer. 

A graduate of the Juilliard School as a Kovner Fellow, Elmore studied with Judith LeClair and performed frequently as principal bassoon with the Juilliard Orchestra. He also holds a professional studies certificate from the Colburn School, where he studied with Richard Beene. He has been a fellow at Tanglewood Music Center and Music Academy of the West, and contributed to a Grammy Award–nominated album with the National Orchestra Institute. Elmore’s musical journey began in Cleveland, where he studied with Mark DeMio and Barrick Stees. As a high school student, he was principal bassoon of the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony and a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. He also toured internationally with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States. 

An advocate for music education, Elmore is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of young bassoonists. He collaborated with Alfred Music on an intermediate bassoon method book and served as bassoon faculty at the 2023 Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa, offering masterclasses and coaching young musicians. Outside of music, he enjoys cultivating his plant collection and spending time in nature. 

Stan Muncy, Section Percussion  

Stan Muncy joined the San Francisco Symphony percussion section in fall 2024 after serving as a frequent extra musician since 2010. He was previously a member of the Honolulu Symphony and Santa Rosa Symphony. He has also toured with the contemporary music ensemble Eighth Blackbird, participated in the Spoleto Festival and Music Academy of the West, and recorded film and video game scores at Skywalker Sound, Capitol Records, and Warner Brothers Studios. 

A native of California, Muncy grew up in the Central Valley and moved to the Bay Area for college, earning a bachelor’s degree from California State University, East Bay, where he studied with Artie Storch, and a master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Jack Van Geem. During that time, he was also a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he received a professional studies certificate from the Colburn School. 

Muncy is currently a faculty member at the SFCM Pre-College and previously taught at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and California State University, Stanislaus. He has also coached many youth orchestra percussion sections, including the SFSYO. 

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