Greg Spiridopoulos - Synchronous - New Works for Trombone and Wind Ensemble (2022)

Just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic halted all live musical endeavors, Matthew Westgate and I had scheduled an ambitious recording project of standard works for trombone and piano that had been orchestrated for wind ensemble accompaniment. Our project, slated for recording with the UMass Wind Ensembles during the fall semester 2020, was postponed indefinitely. As we struggled through remote classes, outdoor rehearsals and “asynchronous” concerts, it became clear that pivoting to an even more ambitious recording project, of all new works, could be a creative solace, and offer optimistic anticipation for resuming live music. I asked my UMass colleagues, Professors Jeffrey Holmes, Sal Macchia and Felipe Salles, for new compositions featuring solo trombone with wind ensemble accompaniment. To complete the project, I commissioned David Mallamud, whose music I had recorded with the Albany Symphony, to compose a whimsical multi-movement work. This CD, the result of distressing circumstances and remote collaborations, celebrates the return of “synchronous” live music.

Greg Spiridopoulos is a prolific and versatile performer as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. He is Principal Trombone of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, Glimmerglass Opera Festival, Rhode Island Philharmonic and Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as a member of the Portland Symphony Orchestra and the Empire Brass Quintet. Spiridopoulos has appeared as soloist with the Albany Symphony, Harvard Summer Pops, The Valley Winds, and other New England ensembles. Before joining the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2010, Spiridopoulos led a distinguished freelance career, with regular appearances with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestras, Boston Ballet Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera and the Handel and Haydn Society. As an educator, Spiridopoulos has presented numerous solo recitals and master classes, including Yale University, Eastman School of Music, McGill University, the University of North Texas and Boston University.