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 Montréal for one season. In addition, he has performed as guest Principal Trombonist with the London Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall led by Pierre Boulez.
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. In May of 2023 he performed the US premiere with the New York Philharmonic.
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.
Further information about Mr. Alessi can be found on his website, www.slidearea.com. Mr. Alessi plays exclusively on a Shires-Alessi model trombone.