Evan Kuhlmann was appointed Solo Contrabassoon and Section Bassoon of the Los Angeles Philharmonic by Gustavo Dudamel in 2018, shortly after completing his twelfth season as Solo Contrabassoon and Assistant Principal Bassoon of the Oregon Symphony. A native Seattleite, he is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and The Juilliard School; where he earned a B.M. in Bassoon Performance with Scholastic Distinction as a student of Frank Morelli, and the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music. He previously studied bassoon with Francine Peterson, Barrick Stees, and Eric Stomberg.

Evan has performed with numerous orchestras internationally including the San Diego, Seattle and St. Louis Symphonies, the All-Star, Grant Park, Mainly Mozart Festival and Orpheus Chamber Orchestras, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the Orchestra of the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. He has performed numerous world premieres, including works by John Adams, Jennifer Higdon, and George Walker as the former Principal Bassoon of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. Evan has appeared as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall, the Marrowstone Festival Orchestra, and alongside Jethro Tull with the Oregon Symphony. His chamber music appearances include performances at Chamber Music Northwest, as well as the Lincoln Center and Ojai Music Festivals.

Evan's playing can be heard on many recordings including two 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).