Brass Bash with Trombonist James Justin Kent

Trombone soloist James Justin Kent joins UMBC music faculty and students for a night of incredible brass music in the annual Brash Bash. The evening will feature a virtuosic solo set by Kent that culminates in a performance alongside a large UMBC student/faculty brass ensemble. Brass chamber and large ensemble works will also be performed throughout the program.

James Justin Kent, currently the tenor and bass trombonist with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, Sweden, has been principal trombone faculty at the Eastern Music Festival since 2018. He has given masterclasses, performed recitals and concerts, and taught aspiring young trombone students all over the world. He is also the artistic director of the International Performing Arts Summit in central Pennsylvania.

Kent’s first position of note was as principal trombone with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Metha. He then spent a season as principal trombone with the Sarasota Orchestra before winning a position in a newly founded orchestra in Qatar, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. He spent over four years in Qatar playing co-principal trombone where several renowned conductors conducted regularly, including Lorin Maazel, Dmitri Kitajenko, Gerd Albrecht, Marc Minkowski, and James Gaffigan. While in Qatar, he held teaching positions at the Qatar Music Academy as their low brass teacher. In 2012, Kent became the tenor and bass trombonist with the Orchestra Philharmonique du Luxembourg. The following year, he became solo-posaunist with the Bruckner Orchester Linz, where he played for six years.

Kent has also given masterclasses all over Asia, Europe and the United States, including Mannes School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Royal College of Music, and Kartner Landeskonservatorium to name a few. He has also performed with world class orchestras spanning four continents, including Munich Philharmonic, Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra along with and many others.