Ken Shifrin, trombone

Ken Shifrin's playing has been described by the Wien Kurier as "brilliant, with almost unbelievable beauty of tone, artistry and elegance". Dr Shifrin was a native of Washington D.C. He was appointed Principal Trombonist of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 1982 by Sir Simon Rattle, who declared him "not only one of the most able trombonists in my experience but also an intelligent and wide-ranging musician". Prior to coming to Britain, he held positions as Principal of the Stuttgart Radio Orchestra and Associate Principal of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In the USA he was a member of the popular rock band The Atlantics, performing for Michael Jackson, Olivia Newton-John, Natalie Cole, Paul Anka, the Drifters and Andy Williams.

Currently he leads Posaune Voce Trio and is much in demand as a soloist, having appeared with the US Navy and Army Bands, at the Edinburgh Festival, the Dvorak Summer Music Festival, the Malta International Arts Festival and at the Barbican Centre in London. He has presented recitals and master-classes in Washington DC, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Brno, Oxford and Cardiff. Having premiered many works, he gave the first American and British performances of Leopold Mozart's Concerto for Alto Trombone in 1996. In 1999 he was awarded a D.Phil. on the alto trombone from the University of Oxford, where he won a Halstead Scholarship and received research fellowships from the Humanities Research Board of the British Academy and the Czech Academy of Sciences. In Oxford, he has played regularly with the Christ Church Festival Orchestra for several years, including as a soloist, as principal trombone, and bass trumpet in orchestral music from Wagner's Ring cycle.

Ken Shifrin can be contacted at: shifrin9@aol.com