New York Philharmonic Principal Trombonist to Present Master Class March 3 at Cal Poly
Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist for the New York Philharmonic for more than 30 years, will present a master class for Cal Poly music students from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3, in Room 218 in the Davidson Music Center (No. 45) on campus.
The master class is open to the public for free. During the class, several of the Music Department’s leading low brass students will perform and be critiqued.
Alessi is on the faculty of The Juilliard School. Many of his students occupy posts with major symphony orchestras. As a clinician for the Edwards Instrument Co., he has given master classes throughout the world.
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 New York Philharmonic, he was second trombone of The Philadelphia Orchestra and principal trombone of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in Canada. He has also performed as guest principal trombonist with the London Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall.
Alessi has performed as a soloist with several leading concert bands, including the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point, the U.S. Army Band Pershing's Own, and the President's Own U.S. Marine Band.
He has participated in numerous festivals, including the Festival Internazionale di Musica da Camera in Portogruaro, Italy; the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, Calif.; Swiss Brass Week in Leukerbad, Switzerland; 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 a founding member of the Summit Brass Ensemble at the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute in Tempe, Ariz. In 2002 he was awarded the International Trombone Association Award for his contributions to the world of trombone music and trombone playing.
For more information on Alessi, go to: slidearea.com.
The master class is sponsored by Cal Poly's Music Department, College of Liberal Arts, and the Tevis Fund for Visiting Artists. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-756-2406.