Principal Trombone 

Larry Zalkind, Principal Trombone, began his trombone studies at the age of eight. Inspired by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Larry wanted to play the trumpet, but his school music teacher, Nora Graham had no more available. “You look like a trombone player to me!” she declared, and the instrument stuck. Larry continued to play the trombone and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Southern California.  Notable teachers include Robert Marsteller, Lewis Van Haney, Byron Peebles, Terry Cravens, Ralph Sauer, Harold Diner, Tommy Johnson, Jimmy Stamp and Charley Shoemake.  He then studied with Dennis Smith and Arnold Jacobs while working on his doctorate in music performance at the University of Michigan.

Larry won the position of Principal Trombone in 1981. Along with his duties in the Utah Symphony, he is currently a member of Summit Brass and the Grand Teton Music Festival. He is a frequent soloist and clinician around the country and has released two solo CDs: Larry Zalkind Plays Baroque Music on the Trombone and Encore! (www.zalkindmusic.com). Larry has been involved with the Yamaha Corporation in the design of a new large-bore tenor trombone, which he currently plays.  He is married to Roberta Zalkind, Associate Principal Viola, and they have three sons: Ben, Matt, and Aaron.

James Nova
Assistant Principal Trombone

 

James Nova is the Assistant Principal/Second Trombonist of the Utah Symphony. He has also performed, recorded, and appeared in television broadcasts with the Boston Symphony and Pops and performs as Principal Trombone of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra.

 

Mr. Nova first picked up a trombone at age nine, later attending the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Glenn Dodson, followed by graduate study at the New England Conservatory, with Norman Bolter.

 

Before moving to Utah, Mr. Nova was an active freelance performer in the Boston area, and also held positions as Second Trombone of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Principal of the Rhode Island Philharmonic and Vermont Symphony, and Assistant Principal of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as soloist with the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Winds and performed with the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra, the Colorado Music Festival, and the Haddonfield Symphony. He is also a member of the Utah Trombone Authority, a professional trombone quartet with a soon-to-be-released CD. His own recently released CD is titled Albanian Rhapsody.

 

Visit jimnova.com for more information. 

Russell McKinney
Bass Trombone

 

Russell McKinney has been bass trombonist of the Utah Symphony since 1989. He is also the Director of Low Brass Studies at the Horne School of Music, Snow College, Ephraim, Utah, and Assistant Lecturer of Bass Trombone at Brigham Young University. He has also held adjunct teaching positions at the University of Utah, Westminster College, Southern College, Tennessee, and Lee College, Tennessee. He was bass trombone instructor and chamber music coach at the Eastern Music Festival from 1984 to 1988.

 

Before coming to Utah, he was bass trombonist of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra as a one season sabbatical replacement and held positions with the Chattanooga Symphony and the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra as well as frequently serving as a substitute and extra musician in the Baltimore Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Kennedy Center Orchestra.

 

Mr. McKinney attended the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and received orchestral and chamber music training at the Chautauqua Institute. Since 2003 he has served as the Music Director at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Salt Lake City

 

Mr. McKinney and his wife Linda have three children and five cats and reside in the avenues in Salt Lake City.

 

For more information visit www.snow.edu/~music/Rustyhome.htm