About James

James Markey joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Bass Trombone in Fall 2012  following a 15-year tenure in the New York Philharmonic as Associate Principal (1997-2007) and  Bass Trombone (2007-2012), and a two-year tenure as Principal Trombone of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (1995-1997). 

Mr. Markey regularly performs as a soloist and recitalist around the country.  Solo appearances include with the Boston Pops, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Sun Valley Summer  Symphony, the United States Army Band (“Pershing’s Own”), the Hora Decima Brass Ensemble, the New York Staff Band of the Salvation Army, and the Hanover Wind Symphony.  He is a founding  member of the National Brass Ensemble.  

A sought-after educator, Mr. Markey has been a featured recitalist and lecturer numerous times at the International Trombone Festival, the American (formerly Eastern) Trombone Workshop, and at music educator conferences in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts among other states.

Mr. Markey serves on the trombone faculty at the New England Conservatory in Boston,  MA. In addition to his collegiate teaching, Mr. Markey is at the forefront of the Suzuki Brass movement, and is one of a small handful of registered Suzuki trombone instructors in the world.  A passionate believer in early childhood education in brass playing, he is founder of the Suzuki Brass program at New England Conservatory’s Preparatory Division. He has served on the faculties of the Juilliard School, Mannes College: the New School for Music, New York University, Purchase  College (SUNY), Longy School of Music, Montclair State University, Sarah Lawrence College, and  the Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division. 

Mr. Markey has released three solo recordings: Offroad (tenor trombone, 2003); On Base (bass trombone, 2009); and Psychedelia (bass trombone, 2015); as well as recordings of orchestral excerpts including the Bass Trombonist’s Listening Guide, a joint album of orchestral and opera excerpts for bass trombone with Denson Paul Pollard; and Extraordinary Foundations (with tubist Mike Roylance, 2023).  He is a featured soloist on A Beautiful Noise, solos for tenor and bass trombone with the Columbus State University Trombone Choir (2013), and on the Hora Decima Brass Ensemble's recording of Janko Nilović's Concerto for Two Trombones.  As a founding member of the National Brass Ensemble, he performs on their albums Gabrieli (2014) and Deified (2023). 

Mr. Markey studied with Joseph Alessi at the Juilliard School, where he received his Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees in 2005 and 2006.