BSO Players to NEC Faculty

Boston Symphony Orchestra Trumpet and Bass Trombone Players Join NEC’s Faculty

Recent NEC Graduate Wins Percussion Position with BSO

Michael Martin, BSO trumpet, and James Markey, recently selected to be Douglas Yeo’s successor as BSO bass trombone, have joined the New England Conservatory faculty, effective in September. Meanwhile, NEC alumnus Matthew McKay ’09 (in photo right) has been named a member of the BSO’s percussion section. A native of Fairfax, VA., McKay studied at NEC with BSO percussionist Will Hudgins, and will join the BSO after two seasons as percussionist with the Oregon Symphony. Another NEC alumnus has also won BSO auditions and his engagement will be announced soon.

The three appointments underscore the continuing close relationship between NEC and the BSO that goes back to the founding of the Orchestra in 1881. Today, approximately 50% of the members of the BSO are either alumni of the Conservatory or members of faculty.

A native of Marietta, GA, Michael Martin joined the trumpet section of the BSO and the Boston Pops as Fourth/Utility trumpet in October 2010. He occupies the Ford H. Cooper Chair. Mr. Martin attended Northwestern University where he received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in trumpet performance studying with Barbara Butler and Charles Geyer. Mr. Martin was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in 2006 and 2008, receiving the Roger Voisin Trumpet Award both summers. He has performed with orchestras across the country and around the world including the Atlanta, Baltimore, and Chicago symphonies and with the Pacific Music Festival of Sapporo, Japan, and the Grand Teton Music Festival of Jackson, Wyoming. He has performed as guest principal trumpet with the Honolulu Symphony and the Seoul Philharmonic and with the Malaysian Philharmonic of Kuala Lumpur. From 2006 to 2009, Michael was a regular member with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony. A champion of new music, Mr. Martin has performed with acclaimed contemporary music groups eighth blackbird and the Pacifica Quartet and has also performed with members of the Chicago Symphony as part of their "MusicNow" series at the Harris Theater. An award-winning composer, Mr. Martin has also studied composition at Northwestern University and orchestration at the University of Chicago with renowned composer, orchestrator and conductor Cliff Colnot and has been commissioned by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Chamber Musicians.

James Markey, who won his chair in March, comes to the BSO from the New York Philharmonic, which he joined in 1997 as Associate Principal Trombone, and subsequently became Bass Trombone in June 2007. Previously, he was principal trombone of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. A sought-after educator, Mr. Markey has been a featured artist at the International Trombone Festival, the Eastern Trombone Workshop, and the conferences of the New Jersey Music Educators Association and the New York State School Music Association. He has also appeared as a guest recitalist and clinician at major educational institutions including the University of Toronto’s Glenn Gould School, Manhattan School of Music, James Madison University, University of Calgary and Mount Royal College, Rutgers University, and The Boston Conservatory. He currently serves on the bass trombone faculty of The Juilliard School, and on the trombone faculty at Mannes College of Music. Additionally, he was on the faculty of The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division from 1998 to 2007, and has served on the faculties of New York University, Purchase College (SUNY), Montclair State University, and Sarah Lawrence College. Mr. Markey studied with Joseph Alessi at The Juilliard School, where he received his B.M. and M.M. in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

For further information on the NEC-BSO connection, check the NEC Website. 

ABOUT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY

Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory in Boston, MA offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 720 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world. Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide. Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.

The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions. On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, contemporary improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Programs and Partnerships Program, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors. Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes—thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music, jazz, and contemporary improvisation.

NEC presents more than 900 free concerts each year, many of them in Jordan Hall, its world- renowned, century-old, beautifully restored concert hall. These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz, contemporary improvisation, and opera scenes. Every year, NEC’s opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre or Paramount Theatre in Boston.

NEC is co-founder and educational partner of From the Top, a weekly radio program that celebrates outstanding young classical musicians from the entire country. With its broadcast home in Jordan Hall, the show is now carried by National Public Radio and is heard on 250 stations throughout the United States.

Contact: Ellen Pfeifer
Public Relations Manager
New England Conservatory
290 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
617-585-1143
Ellen.pfeifer@necmusic.edu