Based in Los Angeles, Plotner maintains an active recording career from his private studio, contributing to major film scores, television productions, commercial music, and artist releases. In parallel with his work as a performer, he is deeply active as an arranger, orchestrator, and producer, shaping projects from initial concept through final delivery. He is a sought-after music contractor and coordinator, assembling and leading orchestras for large-scale international tours and productions, including Avatar: The Last Airbender – Live in Concert and Naruto: The Symphonic Experience. As a performer, he has appeared as a featured soloist on international concert tours, including The World of Hans Zimmer, where he performed on an expansive multi-instrument setup spanning nearly twenty instruments.
Beyond performance and production, Plotner maintains a significant presence as an educator and digital creator. His online platforms reach a global audience, offering insight into orchestration, traditional instruments from around the world, and his own original music.
I'm often asked about how I'm able to keep up my abilities playing so many instruments in so many different genres. It always strikes me as an odd question. I always find that with each new instrument, each new song, each new musical experience I learn something that informs the rest of my musicianship. I never find that I'm losing abilities—only adding to ones I already have. New perspectives consistently help me address old problems.
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It's probably not surprising that I think a lot about the "Jack of All Trades" figure of speech. But many don't know that it was originally a couplet:
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"Jack of all trades, master of none,
though oftentimes better than master of one."
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With that that in mind, I still endeavor to be a “master of all trades and a jack of none”. What can I say, I like to keep busy.
About
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Josh Plotner is a multi-platinum producer, composer, arranger, and orchestrator, as well as an internationally recognized woodwind multi-instrumentalist, whose work spans film, television, video games, and popular music. With credits exceeding 3 billion streams, he has contributed to major productions both behind the scenes and as a performer, collaborating with artists and composers including Justin Hurwitz, Jeremy Zuckerman, and Meghan Trainor, and becoming one of the most in-demand and widely recorded woodwind artists working today.
Equally at home in high-pressure recording environments, on Broadway stages, and on international arena tours, Plotner performs on more than 200 instruments, from saxophones and the full orchestral woodwind family to traditional instruments from cultures around the world. His playing is featured across Emmy Award-winning, Grammy-nominated, and Academy Award-nominated projects, with credits including Babylon, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Palm Royale, Red Dead Redemption II, League of Legends, Genshin Impact, The Amazing Digital Circus, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, among many others.
A core part of Plotner’s reputation is his ability to bridge musical worlds with fluency and authenticity. His work moves seamlessly across pop, hip hop, jazz, classical, and global traditions, informed by years of direct study with master musicians and a deep commitment to the performance practices behind each instrument he plays.
Raised in a rigorous multi-ensemble environment, Plotner developed an unusually broad musical foundation early on, performing simultaneously in orchestras, jazz ensembles, chamber groups, and pit orchestras while maintaining intensive private study. He went on to attend Berklee College of Music, where he graduated magna cum laude in three years with dual degrees in Performance and Jazz Composition.