JOSEPH ALESSI
Principal Trombone, NY Philharmonic​
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MARTHA LOCKER, Piano
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Tuesday, March 18, 2025
7.30 p.m.
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​​PROGRAM
Concertino
Ferdinand David
À La Manière De Debussy
Jean-Michel Defaye
The Grand Prismatic Spring
Jorge Machain
Thoughts of Love
Arthur Pryor
Danza Etema
John Dickson
Benediction
Caren Joanna Cole
(World Premiere)
Tango for Joe
Philip Sparke​
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ABOUT THE MUSICIANS
The Gurnee F. and Marjorie L. Hart Chair - ​Joseph Alessi was appointed Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic in the spring of 1985. He 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. In addition, he has performed as guest principal trombonist with the London Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall led by Pierre Boulez.
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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 Philharmonic, which commissioned the work for its 150th anniversary celebration. His most recent appearance with the Philharmonic as soloist was in performances of the Tan-Dun Trombone Concerto in March of 2024. Mr. Alessi also has appeared as soloist with the New York Philharmonic in performances of concerti by Kazimierz Serocki, Bramwell Tovey, William Bolcom, Tan-Dun, and William Grant Still. Composed especially for Mr. Alessi, he performed the world premiere of the Chick Corea Trombone Concerto with the Säo Paulo Symphony Orchestra in August of 2021.
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Joseph Alessi has recorded and performed extensively with five prominent trombone quartets; The New York Trombone Quartet resulting in the only recording of Bartok’s 4th String Quartet, Aries Trombone Quartet, Four of a Kind Trombone Quartet, the World Trombone Quartet, and Slide Monsters Trombone Quartet.
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Other solo engagements have included the New Japan Philharmonic, Nagoya Philharmonic, Gulbenkian Symphony, Costa Rica Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Orchestra of Teatro Bellini, Mannheim National Theater Orchestra, Hauge Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, and the Colorado, Nashville, Alabama, Santa Barbara, Syracuse, and Puerto Rico symphony orchestras. Mr. Alessi has also participated in numerous festivals, including the Festivale Musica di Camera in Portogruaro, Italy; 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. In 2002 Mr. Alessi was awarded an International Trombone Association Award for his contributions to the world of trombone music and trombone playing, and in 2014, was elected President of that association.
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Mr. Alessi is currently on the faculty of The Juilliard School; his students now occupy posts with many major symphony orchestras in the U.S. and internationally. As a clinician for the Eastman-Shires Instrument Co., he has also given master classes throughout the world and has toured Europe extensively as a master teacher and recitalist. He has performed as soloist with several leading concert bands, including the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point, U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own), and the U.S. Marine Band (President's Own). In addition, he has performed with the Maria Schneider Orchestra, the Village Vanguard Orchestra, and has recorded with jazz greats, J.J. Johnson and Steve Turre.
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Mr. Alessi’s discography includes many releases on the Summit record label, including the Trombonastics, and a disc with New York Philharmonic Principal Trumpet Philip Smith entitled Fandango; he also recorded New York Legends on the Cala label. 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.
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Mr. Alessi 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 and is now available as Beyond the End of the Century through Summit Records. 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 (Sony Classical and Philips Records). Further information about Mr. Alessi can be found on his website, www.slidearea.com. Mr. Alessi plays exclusively on a Shires-Alessi model trombone. As a conductor, Mr. Alessi had conducted the Juilliard Trombone Choir, the Danbury Community Orchestra and the New York Concerti Sinfonietta in Carnegie Weill Recital Hall.
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Pianist Martha Locker leads a busy and diverse musical life, performing as soloist and chamber musician both in the United States and abroad. As soloist, Martha has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Nova, the New Juilliard Ensemble and the New York University Symphony Orchestra.
An avid chamber musician and performer of contemporary music, Martha gives regular performances at Juilliard and New York University and many other New York venues, including Bargemusic, Symphony Space, Greenwich House and Bloomingdale House. Martha has been a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center, and has attended the Sarasota Music Festival, the Chautauqua Music Festival, and the Eastern Music Festival and has been a guest artist at the Kyoto International Music Festival, New York University Summer String Seminar, the University of Maryland Summer Percussion Seminar and the Alessi Trombone Seminar.
Martha holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Juilliard School, where she studied piano with Peter Serkin, Jacob Lateiner, and Jerome Lowenthal. She completed an Advanced Certificate in Music Education at New York University in 2012, where she studied piano with Miyoko Lotto. Martha is an adjunct faculty member at the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn and a collaborative pianist at Juilliard, Mannes and NYU.
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