New York Philharmonic Brass Quintet　［Brass Quintet］

New York Philharmonic Brass Quintet Member Profile

Philip Smith, trumpet

Philip Smith joined the New York Philharmonic as Co-Principal Trumpet in October 1978, and assumed the position of Solo Principal Trumpet in June 1988. His early training was provided at The Salvation Army, and continued under the tutelage of his father, Derek Smith, himself a renowned cornetist. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School, having studied with Edward Treutel and William Vacchiano, former Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic. In January 1975, while still at Juilliard, Mr. Smith was appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by Sir Georg Solti.

Mr. Smith has appeared regularly as soloist, recitalist, chamber orchestra performer, and clinician. He has been featured as a soloist with the Philharmonic in more than 75 performances under conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, Erich Leinsdorf, Leonard Bernstein, Neeme J?rvi and Bramwell Tovey. Highlights have included the world premiere of Joseph Turrin's Trumpet Concerto with the New York Philharmonic, its subsequent European premiere with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the U.S. premiere of Jacques Hetu's Trumpet Concerto, the world premiere (2000) of Lowell Liebermann's Concerto, and the world premiere (2003) of Siegfried Matthus's Double Concerto for Trumpet, Trombone, and Orchestra. He has been a guest soloist with the South Dakota Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Newfoundland Symphony, Columbus (Indiana) Symphony, Pensacola (Florida) Symphony, Hartford (Connecticut) Symphony, and Beaumont (Texas) Symphony.

Mr. Smith has also appeared with many symphonic wind ensembles, including the United States "President's Own" Marine Band, La Philharmonie des Vents des Quebec, Hanover Wind Symphony, Ridgewood Concert Band, and many major university wind ensembles. He has appeared at The College Band Directors National Association Convention in Austin, Texas, for the world premiere (1999) of Turrin's Chronicles with the University of New Mexico Wind Ensemble.

An avid brass band enthusiast, Mr. Smith has been guest soloist with the United States Army Brass Band, Goteborg Brass (Sweden), Black Dyke Mills and Ridged Containers Bands (Britain), Hannaford Street Silver Band and Intrada Brass (Canada), and numerous American and Salvation Army Brass Bands. He appeared as featured soloist at the 1996 British Open Brass Band Championships in Manchester, England.

Mr. Smith has been on the faculty at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, and has appeared as recitalist and clinician at the Caramoor International Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Swiss Brass Week, Breman (Germany) Trumpet Days, Oslo (Norway) Trumpet Week, Harmony Ridge (Vermont) Festival, Scotia Festival of Music and numerous International Trumpet Guild conferences.

As a member of the Principal Brass Quintet of the New York Philharmonic, Mr. Smith has twice toured Japan, and visited Brazil and Germany. He has also performed and recorded with the Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Mostly Mozart Orchestra, Bargemusic, and New York Virtuosi Chamber Symphony.

His solo recordings include Contest Solos produced by the International Trumpet Guild; Fandango, featuring New York Philharmonic Principal Trombonist Joseph Alessi and the University of New Mexico Wind Symphony (Summit); My Song of Songs with the New York Staff Band of The Salvation Army (Triumphonic); Copland's Quiet City (Deutsche Grammophone); New York Legends (CALA); Orchestral Excerpts for Trumpet, (Summit); Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Concerto for Trumpet and Five Instruments (New World); Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 (Koch); and Walton's Fa?ade (Arabesque). He has three recordings with his Gospel group, Resounding Praise; We Live To Worship You, The Trump Shall Resound and Repeat the Sounding Joy.

Mr. Smith is involved in a series of projects with Curnow Music Press, publishing music arrangements with demonstration CDs. These include "Great Hymns", "More Great Hymns" and "Great Christmas Carols" for trumpet, piano and organ, and "Concert Studies" for trumpet. He is also featured in a similar project entitled "Total Trumpet," featuring trumpet studies written by Michael Davis and demonstrated by Randy Brecker, Jim Hynes and Philip Smith, published by Hip-Bone Music.

Philip Smith Official Homepege

Matthew Muckey, trumpet

Matthew Muckey joined the Philharmonic in June 2006. He recently graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor's degree in music, studying with Charles Geyer and Barbara Butler. A native of Sacramento, California, he has appeared as soloist with the Omaha Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, California Wind Orchestra, Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, and on NPR's program, From the Top. He has also played with the Boston Pops Orchestra, New World Symphony, and Chicago Civic Orchestra.

Mr. Muckey was a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center during the summers of 2003 to 2005, and was the recipient of the Roger Voisin Award in 2004 and 2005.

Joseph Alessi, trombone

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, and 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.

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 Orchestra as soloist was in performances of James Pugh's Trombone Concerto in March of 2000.

Mr. Alessi has been a guest soloist with the Lincoln Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Santa Barbara Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Orchestra of Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Sicily, Mannheim National Theater Orchestra, National Symphony of Taiwan, Puerto Rico Symphony, and the Hague Philharmonic. In 2007 he will make his solo debuts with the Helsinki Philharmonic and the Hartford Symphony. Mr. Alessi has also participated in numerous festivals, including the Festivale Musica di Camera in Protogruaro, 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. He is a founding member of the Summit Brass ensemble at the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute in Tempe, Arizona. In 2002 Mr. Alessi was awarded an International Trombone Association Award for his contributions to the world of trombone music and trombone playing.

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 Edwards 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).

Mr. Alessi's discography includes many releases on the Summit record label, including the recent 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. Three new recordings are scheduled for release in 2007: Return to Sorrento, on the Naxos record label, and two recordings on the Summit record label that feature Mr. Alessi with Columbus State University Wind Ensemble and the Imperial Brass Band. In addition, conductor/composer Bramwell Tovey recently recorded a piece written especially for Mr. Alessi, entitled Urban Cabaret with Mr. Alessi as soloist.

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. 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 (Sony Classical and Philips Records). Further information about Mr. Alessi can be found on his website, www.slidearea.com.

Joseph Alessi Official Homepege

Philip Myers, horn

Philip Myers joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal French Horn in January 1980. A frequent soloist with the Philharmonic, he made his solo debut during his first month with the Orchestra in the premiere of William Schuman's Three Colloquies for French Horn and Orchestra. He has appeared as a Philharmonic soloist on numerous occasions, most recently in Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 4, conducted by Roberto Minczuk, in November 2003. He has also performed in Schumann's Conzertst?ck for Four Horns, under Kurt Masur in May 2001, and Benjamin Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings led by Andr? Previn in October 2001.

Mr. Myers began his orchestral career in 1971 with a three-year term as principal horn of the Atlantic Symphony in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was third horn with the Pittsburgh Symphony from 1974 until 1977. As principal horn of the Minnesota Orchestra for a season and a half, he made a solo debut with that ensemble in 1979, performing Richard Strauss's Horn Concerto No. 1, Neville Marriner conducting. A native of Elkhart, Indiana, Mr. Myers holds two degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Mr. Myers plays Engelbert Schmid French horns.

Alan Baer, tuba

Alan Baer joined the New York Philharmonic on June 21, 2004, as Principal Tuba. He was formerly principal tuba with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. His other performing credits include recordings with The Cleveland Orchestra led by Vladimir Ashkenazy, performances with the Peninsula Music Festival of Wisconsin, New Orleans Symphony, Los Angeles Concert Orchestra, Ojai Festival Orchestra (California), Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed as a featured soloist, touring several countries in Europe, including Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and France.

Mr. Baer began his undergraduate work at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he studied with Dr. Gary Bird. He completed his bachelor of music degree with Ronald Bishop at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has done graduate work at the University of Southern California, Cleveland Institute of Music, and California State University, Long Beach, where he studied with Tommy Johnson. While in Long Beach, Mr. Baer taught at California State University, where he also directed the university tuba ensemble and the brass choir. In Milwaukee, Mr. Baer was adjunct professor of tuba and euphonium at the University of Wisconsin and director of the Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble.

Alan Baer Official Homepege

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