JOSEPH ALESSI

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Joseph Alessi was appointed Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic in the spring of 1985. Mr. Alessi began musical studies in his native California with his father, Joseph Alessi, Sr. As a high school student in San Rafael, California, he was a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony before continuing his musical training at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music. Prior to joining the Philharmonic, Mr. Alessi was second trombone of the Philadelphia Orchestra for four seasons and principal trombone of L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal for one season.

Mr. Alessi is an active soloist, recitalist, and chamber music performer. In April 1990, he made his solo debut with the New York Philharmonic, performing Creston’s Fantasy for Trombone, and in 1992 premiered Christopher Rouse’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Trombone Concerto with the Orchestra, which commissioned the work for its 150th Anniversary Celebration. His most recent appearance with the Philharmonic as soloist was in performances of James Pugh’s Trombone Concerto in March of 2000.

He has been a guest soloist with the Lincoln Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Santa Barbara Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, Orchestra of Teatro Bellini in Catania Sicily, Mannheim National Theater Orchestra, National Symphony of Taiwan, and the Hauge Philharmonic. Mr. Alessi has also participated in numerous festivals, including the Festivale Musica di Camera in Protogruaro, Italy, the Cabrillo Music Festival, Swiss Brass Week, and Lieksa Brass Week in Finland. He was featured in the 1997 International Trombone Festival in Feldkirch, Austria, and the International Meeting of Brass Instruments in Lille, France. He is founding member of the Summit Brass ensemble at the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute in Tempe, Arizona.

Currently on the faculty of The Juilliard School, his students now occupy posts with many major symphony orchestras throughout the United States. As a clinician for the Edwards Instrument Co., he has also given master classes throughout the world and has toured Europe extensively as a master teacher and recitalist. Mr. Alessi has performed on numerous occasions as soloist with local concert bands including the West Point Army Band, Hanover Wind Symphony, and Ridgewood, New Jersey Concert Band.

Mr. Alessi’s discography includes Slide Area on the D’Note record label and New York Legends on the Cala label as well as a new release with New York Philharmonic Principal Trumpet Philip Smith on the Summit record label entitled Fandango. His live recording of the Rouse Concerto with the New York Philharmonic can be heard on Volume II of the recent release, An American Celebration, on New York Philharmonic Special Editions, the Orchestra’s own recording label. He was invited by the International Trombone Association to record a solo disc of newly composed works, which was distributed to the Association’s membership of 5,000 trombonists in early 1999. Recently, his recording of George Crumb’s Starchild on the Bridge record label, featuring Mr. Alessi as soloist, won a Grammy Award for 1999-2000. Other recordings featuring Mr. Alessi are with the Canadian Brass for Sony Classical and Philips Records.