Joseph Alessi was appointed principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic in 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. Before joining the philharmonic, Alessi was second trombone of The Philadelphia Orchestra for four seasons and principal trombone of L’Orchestre symphonique de Montreal for one season.
Alessi is 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 worldwide and 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 U.S. Marine Band (President’s Own). In addition, he has performed with the Maria Schneider Orchestra, Village Vanguard Orchestra and recorded with jazz greats, J.J. Johnson and Steve Turre. Alessi plays exclusively on a Shires-Alessi model trombone.
