Michael Dease

New York City-Based Jazz Trombonist

December 1, 2011, The Mill

12:30 Masterclass – UCC Chamber Room #2

Trombonist Michael Dease has won high praise for his skills as a player, composer, and producer. Since his arrival in 2001, Dease has already developed a distinctive personal sound that leaves a lasting impression with musicians, critics and jazz fans.

Things fell into place quickly for Dease, as he caught the ear of several veteran musicians not long after coming to New York. His first major break came when he was asked to join Illinois Jacquet’s Big Band, with whom he made his debut recording, and he’s never looked back. Since then, the trombonist has performed and toured with the big bands of Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Christian McBride, and Charles Tolliver.

In June 2008, Michael joined the Dizzy Gillespie™All-Star Big Band. He has also performed with Natalie Cole, Jamie Cullum, Wycliffe Gordon, Jason Hainsworth Jazz Orchestra, Slide Hampton’s World of Trombones, Herbie Hancock, Billy Harper, John Lee, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Luis Miguel, James Moody, Nicholas Payton, Claudio Roditi, Paul Simon, and Mark Whitfield.

Born August 25th, 1982 in Augusta, Georgia, Michael initially played alto and tenor saxophones. The switch to trombone came abruptly during his senior year in high school. It was such a natural transition that Michael won four all-state competitions before graduating . In the fall of 2001, after moving to New York, Dease began studying with fellow Augusta, Georgia native Wycliffe Gordon during the inaugural year of The Juilliard School’s jazz program. Michael spent five years at Juilliard earning Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in jazz performance.

Dease has won many prizes, including a hand made trombone from the English instrument manufacturer, Michael Rath Trombones. Additional honors include the International Trombone Association’s Frank Rosolino Award, the J.J. Johnson Prize and the Kai Winding Jazz Ensemble Trophy. In 2004, Dease earned a Yamaha Young Performing Artist Award, and a “Best Jazz Instrumentalist” distinction in the June 2004 edition of Downbeat Magazine. In 2007 Michael was awarded the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award. Dease was also among the musicians profiled in author Cicily Janus’ book, The New Face of Jazz (Random House).

For a player still in his twenties, Dease has amassed an impressive discography. He has appeared on the Dizzy Gillespie™All-Star Big Band’s I’m Beboppin’ Too, Charles Tolliver Big Band’s Emperor March, innovative jazz master Illinois Jacquet’s final recording Swingin’ Live with Illinois Jacquet, Claudio Roditi’s Simpatico, and Sharel Cassity’s Relentless.

Dease recorded his first CD The Takeover in 2005 while co-leading a quintet with tenor saxophonist Chris Madsen. This was followed by Dease Bones in 2007, which featured six additional trombonists and special guest Wycliffe Gordon.

In 2008, Clarity was released, showcasing Michael’s writing and arranging skills. He has also recorded with Alicia Keys’ (the Grammy-winning track Superwoman), The Curtis Brothers, Room Eleven, Waitiki 7, Matthew Garrison, Brandon Lee, and Thomas Barber’s Janus Bloc. Learning the ropes of producing from veteran John Lee, Dease launched his own record label, D Clef Records, in 2008.

Grace, Dease’s third release as a leader features Roy Hargrove, Claudio Roditi, Eric Alexander, Cyrus Chestnut, Mark Whitfield, Rufus Reid, John Lee, and Gene Jackson. It will be released June 1st, 2010 on JLP, Jazz Legacy Productions.

The trombonist stays busy composing, arranging and producing. He is a regular lecturer at Northeastern University in Boston, and an instructor at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City (three of his students have been accepted into The Juilliard School). Michael frequently takes part in jazz workshops at universities worldwide.

NEA Jazz Master Curtis Fuller, Dease’s original inspiration to switch to trombone and a valuable mentor, stated “I predict that Michael Dease will become one of the world’s great trombone masters” in a 2004 interview. With his considerable chops and writing skills, Michael Dease has what it takes to leave a lasting mark in jazz.

Michael Dease is an artist endorser for Michael Rath trombones, RS Berkeley Virtuoso Saxophones, AMT Microphones, ProTec Instrument Cases, and Best Brass Mutes.

Mr. Dease will be a guest of the University of Iowa’s Johnson County Landmark (JCL). He will be presenting a masterclass to the trombone studio earlier in the day.

April 26, 2012 12:30 PM, Location TBA

Randall Hawes, Bass Trombonist in the Detroit Symphony

Bass Trombonist Randall Hawes is a Distinguished Alumnus of Central Michigan University, where he studied with Dr. William Rivard and received a Bachelor of Music Education in 1980. After graduation until 1982 Mr. Hawes was a member of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, American Wind Symphony and the New York Harlem Opera Ensemble; 1982-1984 he spent on the road with the Woody Herman Orchestra. Mr. Hawes was awarded a fellowship to the Tanglewood Institute for the summer of 1985. That fall he won the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) bass trombone position, which he still holds.

Mr. Hawes has performed as a guest with the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Grand Teton and Saito Kinen Festival Orchestras. In 1995, Sir Georg Solti invited Mr. Hawes to perform and record with the World Orchestra for Peace (WOP) to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. Mr Hawes has continued his WOP association on international tours and recordings with Solti’s successor, Valery Gergiev. Mr. Hawes can be heard on recordings with WOP, with the DSO under conductors Gunther Herbig, Neeme Järvi and Leonard Slatkin, with the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Solti as well as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass.

Mr. Hawes performs often with Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, the Chicago Chamber Musicians and with a mixed octet of DSO musicians, Cuttime players. He has been a soloist and led master classes in Australia, Asia, Europe and throughout the United States, returning annually since 2009 to the Pokorny Low Brass Seminar at the University of Redlands in California. In 2004, he began his relationship with the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music as trombone teacher and brass chamber music coach. Mr. Hawes’ solo bass trombone and piano recordings include Melodrama, released in 2003, featuring Russian concerti and songs, and Barn Burner, released in 2010, featuring American sonatas and songs. On both of these recordings as well as in many recitals and masterclasses since 1998 his partner has been pianist Kathryn Goodson.

Kathryn Goodson, International Piano Soloist, Teacher and Coach

Pianist Kathryn Goodson is an international performer, teacher and coach. In addition to her partnership with Randall Hawes, she maintains enduring collaborations with artists including hornist Gail Williams, saxophonist Donald Sinta and mezzo soprano Leah Dexter. She has appeared in recital throughout North America, Europe and Japan in venues such as Alice Tully Hall, the Stuttgart Liederhalle and the Chicago Cultural Center. Active as a soloist and chamber musician with strings, Ms. Goodson has been concerto soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for youth concerts and orchestral pianist under Leonard Slatkin and Peter Oundjian. Recordings of Ms. Goodson’s work include Barn Burner and Melodrama (Albany) with bass trombonist Randall Hawes, Voices of the Holocaust (Block M-UM) with soprano Caroline Helton, In Transit (Innova) with saxophonist Timothy McAllister, Namo Gurubyah with violist John Madison and radio-television broadcasts, among them four WFMT-Chicago programs.

Ms. Goodson has been a collaborative pianist and coach for the University of Michigan School of Music (UM) since 2005. At schools such as Stanford University, Conservatoire de Genève, Hartt School of Music in Connecticutt and the Musashino Music School in Tokyo, she has taught classes in solo and collaborative repertoire, returning often to the Karlsruhe Music School in Germany to teach American Art Song.

Artistic organization began for Ms. Goodson 1994-1996 with an American music festival for the Internationale-Hugo-Wolf-Akademie in Stuttgart, Germany; 2005-2007 in Ann Arbor she spearheaded three Charles Ives festivals, two of them with the Phoenix Ensemble and the Peter Sparling Dance Company. In 2005 she co-founded an Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra children’s series, and in 2007 she co-founded and began direction of a benefit series, Concerts4aCause. Ms. Goodson earned a bachelor of music in piano performance from Oberlin Conservatory with Robert Shannon, a master and doctorate of collaborative piano from the University of Michigan with Martin Katz, two Fulbright Scholarships to Germany, and the Konzertexam with highest honors in Liedgestaltung from the Musikhochschule Karlsruhe with Hartmut Höll.

Fall 2010

Ko-ichiro Yamamoto:

Principal Trombone, Seattle Symphony

October 18, 2010:

7:30 PM – Recital (UCC Recital Hall)

October 19, 2010:

6:00 PM – Masterclass with UofIowa Students (UCC Recital Hall)





Mr. Yamamoto’s Biography:

Ko-ichiro Yamamoto, one of the foremost Japanese trombonists of his generation, is the principal trombonist of the Seattle Symphony, Saito- Kinen Orchestras and a faculty member of the University of Washington School of Music. He formerly was a trombonist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York for 10 seasons.

Active as a soloist, recitalist, chamber music performer, and clinician, Ko-ichiro has performed with many groups, which include, the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Chamber Orchestra, as a guest solo principal trombonist of the NHKSymphony Orchestra, Tokyo. He has been an active recording artist and performed on numerous TV and movie recordings in New York and Tokyo. He has been very active giving recitals though out Japan and US.

Ko-ichiro has been a guest soloist with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band (OMSB), New Philharmonic Japan and U.S. Army Band (Pershing’s Own). Recently, he was a feature soloist of both 2007 Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, DC. and 2008 the international trombone festival in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra in world premiere performances of Sam Jones’s Trombone Concerto in April of 2009.

As a clinician, he has given master classes numerals colleges both U.S and Asia. Ko-ichirowas feature soloist and a faculty of Asian Trombone Seminar in Taiwan 2009, feature soloist and clinician of the “Trombone Day in Kumano 2009” and feature soloist and a trombone facility of Curuso Internacional Semena Musical de Salseda Spain 2009.

He has won numerous awards, prizes, and scholarships in Japan and abroad, including fourth place in the International Trombone Association Competition in Australia (1998), first grand prize of the Japan Wind and Percussion Competition (1991), and diploma prize at the Prague International Music Competition (1992).Born in Tokyo, he began studying trombone at age 12 with his father, Tatsuo Yamamoto, and Mr.Yoshiki Hakoyama. After studying at Tokyo College of Music Senior High School, he was accepted at the Franz Liszt Music Academy as a student of Gusztav Hoena andSztan Tivador. While at the academy, he joined the Budapest Festival Orchestra as a trombonist. He studied with Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, at The Juilliard School from 1994-96.

His discography includes “Proof “and “Family Tree” (Kosei Publishing) and “Trombone Concerto” (Octavia Recordings) and Ko-ichiro has been a Yamaha performing artist/clinician since 2008 and performing on new Yamaha Xeno 882OR prototype trombone.

Assistant Professor of Trombone, University of Arizona

October 25, 2010:

7:30 PM – Trombone quartet and low brass section coaching (UCC Recital Hall)

October 26, 2010:

4:00 PM – Q/A. Open forum (Chamber Room 2)

7:30 PM – Solo recital/masterclass (UCC Recital Hall)

Mr. Paiewonsky’s Biography:

Moisés Paiewonsky has earned a Bachelor of Music in music education (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Florida (UF) and a Master of Music in performance (trombone) from the University of Michigan (U of M). Currently, he holds the position of Assistant Professor of Music (Trombone) at The University of Arizona (UA) in Tucson where, in addition to maintaining a strong studio and directing the trombone ensemble, he is the Associate Director of the UA Studio Jazz Ensemble.

While at UF, Mr. Paiewonsky performed as the principal/lead trombonist in all of the major large and jazz ensembles as well as in a variety of chamber groups. During his tenure as a master’s fellow at U of M, Mr. Paiewonsky earned the privilege to perform as principal trombonist of the U of M Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Kenneth Kiesler and the U of M Symphony Band under the direction of Michael Haithcock. He was also the lead/jazz Trombonist in the U of M Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Ellen Rowe as well as the trombonist in a variety of chamber groups including the Latin Jazz Ensemble and 4G: The U of M Trombone Quartet.

Currently, Mr. Paiewonsky is pursuing a doctoral degree in music at UF where he has co-directed the UF Symphonic Band and UF Concert Band; has directed the UF Brass Choir, UF Trombone Choir, UF Jazz Ensemble II; and has taught courses in Brass Methods and Undergraduate Conducting. In addition, Mr. Paiewonsky served as the Assistant Director of Bands at Buchholz High School for two years. His teachers have included David Jackson, Thomas Riccobono, Arthur Jennings, Dennis Wilson, David Waybright, and Gary Langford.

Since his arrival at UA, Mr. Paiewonsky has been awarded numerous grants in order to invite, collaborate with, and/or perform alongside some legendary trombonists such as John Marcellus, Trombones de Costa Rica, and Joseph Alessi. In addition, he has been the recipient of several travel grants for faculty and student travel to conferences and competitions. Most notably, he traveled with recent trombone alumnus, Paul Deemer, who won the 2008 Eastern Trombone Workshop (ETW) National Solo Jazz Competition in Washington, D.C. and was runner-up in the 2008 International Trombone Association (ITA) Carl Fontana Jazz Competition in Salt Lake City, UT.

Mr. Paiewonsky has also appeared on numerous recordings with U of M and UF ensembles. Some of these award-winning recordings include live performances at Carnegie Hall during a CBDNA conference and another at the Esplanade during a WASBE conference in Singapore. In addition, Mr. Paiewonsky is interested in arranging and composing for jazz and other ensembles. Some of his arrangements and compositions have also been featured on published recordings. He has also appeared as a soloist with the UF Wind Symphony on Stravinsky & Friends (6565-MCD) under the Mark Records label.

Professionally, Mr. Paiewonsky has performed with several orchestras including the Detroit Symphony, Detroit Civic, Orlando Philharmonic, Gainesville Symphony, Plymouth Symphony, Bijou, and Central Florida Symphony Orchestras. He has also performed as a soloist with the UF Wind Symphony (2008, 2007, & 2006), the U of M Symphony Orchestra (2005), the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra (2004), and the Gainesville Chamber Orchestra (2003). Mr. Paiewonsky has also collaborated with a wide variety of legendary jazz artists including Terry Gibbs, Chris Potter, Jimmy Cobb, Wayne Bergeron, John Fedchock, Shelly Berg, David “Fathead“ Newman, Ed Calle, Dave Steinmeyer, Vince DiMartino, Byron Stripling, Matt Niess, Alex Iles, and Jack Wilkins. He has also worked as a jazz/commercial musician and lead Trombonist/leader in both the Walt Disney World Christmas Brass and the 2004 Walt Disney World All-American College Band. In addition, he has been the winner or finalist of numerous competitions including the 2005 and 2003 National Trombone Solo Competitions, the 2004 International Trombone Quartet Competition, the 2002 International Trombone Solo Competition, and the 2002 Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Concerto Competition. Mr. Paiewonsky has also served on the faculty of the Interlochen Center for the Arts and currently serves on the faculty of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

As an educator, Mr. Paiewonsky is in high demand as a clinician and a performer. He has appeared as a clinician/performer throughout the United States, including an appearance at the 2009 ETW in Washington, D.C. as a featured performer, as well as in Greece, Singapore, Mexico, and most recently at the National Conservatory of Music in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Mr. Paiewonsky is currently the news editor for the ITA, managing the news column both on the organization’s website and in its quarterly journal. He is also active through organizations such as the College Music Society (CMS), MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the Arizona Music Educators Association (AMEA), the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association (ABODA), the Florida Music Educators’ Association (FMEA), the Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA), and the Arizona Association of Jazz Education (AAJE).

Professor of Trombone, University of Utah

November 8, 2010:

All day – Teach private and/or group lessons (Various – trombone studio, Chamber Rooms)

November 9, 2010:

All day – teach private and/or group lessons (Various – trombone studio, Chamber Rooms)

12:30 PM Lunch Session with graduate students – resume preparation. (TBD)

Dr. Schaefer’s Biography:

Donn Schaefer is originally from Vancouver, Canada. Before joining the music faculty at the University of Utah, Schaefer taught low brass and jazz studies at the University of Mississippi. Schaefer holds degrees from Bemidji State University; the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and the University of Iowa.

While still a high school student, Schaefer toured with several bands of the Canadian Military, including the Royal Air Command Band. Other performing credits include the Utah Symphony, Lake Placid Sinfonietta (a chamber orchestra in NY), San Francisco Ballet, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Tennessee Philharmonic, along with freelance playing and recording in the Nashville/Memphis areas. Schaefer held an associate position with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in 1997-1998.

In May of 2008 Schaefer hosted the International Trombone Festival. This event saw many of today’s brightest trombone stars perform at the University of Utah School of Music. For the past several years Donn Schaefer has toured and performed with the Cramer Trombone Choir, an international group of college trombone-professors. Recent performances include Russia, Sweden, Finland, Texas, New York, and New Orleans. Schaefer has appeared as an artist and adjudicator at the Greeley Jazz Festival, the largest jazz festival in the United States. In 2007, Schaefer was a featured soloist at the annual “76+4 Trombones” event in Las Vegas, along with Jim Pugh and Eijiro Nakagawa. Schaefer has performed and presented clinics at the Eastern Trombone Workshop and International Trombone Festivals.

Spring 2011

Principal Trombone, Utah Symphony Orchestra

January 20, 2011:

12:30 PM: Masterclass (During trombone seminar time)

January 21, 2011:

7:30 PM: Solo Recital (UCC Recital Hall)

When he was eight years old, trombonist Larry Zalkind jumped at the chance to enter the music program at his local elementary school. Inspired by his favorite group, the Tijuana Brass, he had always wanted to play the trumpet. But there were no trumpets left, and his school music teacher Nora Graham settled the issue by declaring, “You look like a trombone player to me!” His fate sealed, Zalkind carried the enormous trombone case home from school with the help of a fellow third grader. After studying with Harold Diner and Norman Bernstein, Larry entered the California Institute of the Arts Youth program in the eighth grade, where he coached chamber music with Los Angeles Tubist Tommy Johnson. By the age of 17, Larry was studying with Robert Marsteller at the University of Southern California. Other highly influential teachers include Arnold Jacobs, Lewis Van Haney, Jimmy Stamp, Tommy Johnson, Ralph Sauer, Byron Peebles, Terry Cravens, and Dennis Smith. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in music education and master’s degree in music performance at USC. In the fall of 1981, while pursuing his doctorate in music performance at the University of Michigan, the 25-year-old won the audition to become Principal Trombonist for the Utah Symphony, a position he has held since 1981. Mr. Zalkind began working with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Acting Associate Principal in the summer of 2009 and after finishing the season in Los Angeles he is back with the Utah Symphony for this season.

In 1976, Larry won the Saunderson Award at the Coleman Chamber Music Competition. He has toured, recorded, and performed extensively as a member of the Summit Brass on trombone and euphonium since 1990. He has also performed with Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Oregon; Music of the Baroque in Chicago; the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder; the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; the Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, DC, and the Elkhorn Music Festival in Sun Valley, Idaho. He has performed and recorded with the Chicago, Atlanta, and St. Louis symphonies, and performed as a member of the Long Beach Symphony before moving to Utah. Larry has been featured as soloist with the Fairbanks Symphony, the Southwest Symphony, the West Los Angeles Symphony, the Billings Symphony, the Twin Falls Symphony, the Macon Symphony, the Burbank (California) Chamber Orchestra, and the Central Oregon Symphony, in addition to the New Sousa Band, the Ringgold Band, the Pierce Symphonic Winds, the U.S. Army Orchestra, and the Denver Municipal Band. He was the solo euphonium with the Long Beach Municipal Band from 1977 to 1980 and has been a member of the Tubadors tuba quartet since 1978.

Larry has released two solo CDs on the Summit Records label, with a third on the way next year. His first CD, Larry Zalkind Plays Baroque Music on the Trombone, features Baroque music on the trombone in different settings; his second, Encore!, features different types of encores performed with trombone and piano (www.zalkindmusic.com).

Mr. Zalkind has been a faculty member at the University of Utah for 29 years. He has served as clinician in many music festivals around the U.S., including the International Trombone Association Trombone Festival, the 76+4 Trombone Workshop at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and the International Tuba-Euphonium Conference in both Chicago and Minnesota. He has served on the faculty of the Hartwick Summer Music Festival in New York, the Batiquitos Festival of the Arts in San Diego, the Grand Teton Orchestral Seminar in Wyoming, and the Marrowstone Music Festival in Port Townsend, Washington. He has also held faculty positions at Cerritos College in California, Albion College in Michigan, Westminster College in Salt Lake City, and Weber State College in Ogden, Utah.

Larry is married to Utah Symphony Associate Principal Violist Roberta Zalkind. They began dating while both were students at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. They have three children: Ben, Matt, and Aaron.

This coming season, Larry will perform his 30th season at the Grand Teton Music Festival and will participate as a member of the Summit Brass in the Rafael Mendez/Summit Brass Institute in Denver, Colorado. He will participate in other recitals and master classes around the country, along with touring Europe with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A Yamaha Artist, Larry has been heavily involved with the Yamaha Corporation in the design of a new large-bore tenor trombone and alto trombone, both of which he currently plays.

Assistant Professor of Trombone, Georgia State University

March 9, 2011:

4:00 PM: Lecture/Masterclass (UCC Recital Hall)

7:30 PM: Solo Recital (UCC Recital Hall)

Cory Mixdorf has been an active performer and educator in the southern part of Indiana for the past six years. Prior to attending Indiana University for his master’s and doctoral degrees, Dr. Mixdorf received his Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He served as associate instructor of trombone at Indiana University from 2005-2008. He also taught as adjunct trombone instructor at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA and toured with the Mr. Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band.

Dr. Mixdorf served as adjunct instructor of brass at Vincennes University in 2009, and has held the positions of principal and second trombone in the Columbus, IN Philharmonic from 2006-2009. Other orchestral experience includes performances with the New World Symphony in Miami, FL, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and the Evansville Philharmonic. He has appeared as a soloist with the Indiana University Symphonic Band where he performed Richard Peaslee’s Arrows of Time.

Dr. Mixdorf’s principal teachers include Peter Ellefson, M. Dee Stewart, Nancy Vogt, D. Paul Pollard, Bruce Tychinski and Brad Edwards.

Principal Trombone, The Cleveland Orchestra

March 21, 2011:

10:00 AM: Masterclass (UCC Recital Hall)

7:30 PM: Solo Recital (Riverside Recital Hall)

Massimo La Rosa joined The Cleveland Orchestra as principal trombone in September 2007. He previously served as principal trombone of La Fenice Opera House in Venice from 1996 to 2007. He has performed as principal trombone with La Scala Opera House in Milan, the Santa Cecilia Symphonic Orchestra in Rome, and with the Teatro Comunale di Firenze in Florence. Mr. La Rosa has appeared as a soloist with La Fenice Orchestra and with the Sicilian Symphonic Orchestra of Palermo. Recently, he was a guest artist at the 2009 Eastern Trombone Workshop, where he performed as a soloist with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”.

Born in Palermo, Sicily in 1974, Mr. La Rosa grew up in Belmonte Mezzagno, a small town outside of Palermo. He began playing the trombone in the local band when he was 9 years old. Later, he studied trombone in Palermo with Filippo Bonanno, principal trombone of the Sicilian Symphonic Orchestra. He had additional lessons and masterclasses with Joseph Alessi, Charles Vernon, Rex Martin, and Jacques Mauger.

Mr. La Rosa is on the trombone faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has also presented masterclasses at several American colleges and conservatories including the Manhattan School of Music, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the Juilliard School.