Daniel Matsukawa

Daniel Matsukawa has been principal bassoon of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2000. Born in Argentina to Japanese parents, he moved with his family to New York City at age three and began studying the bassoon at age thirteen. He later studied at The Juilliard School before attending the Curtis Institute of Music. Since then he has appeared as soloist with several orchestras, including the National Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Auckland (New Zealand) Philharmonic, and Sapporo Symphony, among others. Mr. Matsukawa is also an active chamber musician and has performed and toured with the Marlboro Festival. Prior to his post with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Matsukawa served as principal bassoon with several orchestras including the National, St. Louis, and Memphis symphonies. Additionally, he is a faculty member at both the Curtis Institute of Music and the Boyer College of Music at Temple University. In 2019, Mr. Matsukawa was a member of the jury panel for the Tchaikovsky Competition in St. Petersburg by invitation of Valery Gergiev. Later that same year, he served on the jury panel for the ARD Competition in Munich. Mr. Matsukawa also conducts regularly, appearing on the podium in Japan, at the Curtis Institute of Music, and with the Independence Sinfonia and Virginia Symphony.