George Curran

George Curran became the bass trombonist of the New York Philharmonic in June 2013 after having served in that role during the previous season. Prior to that, he was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and a fellow with the New World Symphony. He joined the Manhattan School of Music brass faculty in 2018.

Mr. Curran has participated in several recording projects, starting with a CD by the Atlanta Trombone Project titled Roadwork—an undertaking that led to the formation of the Southeast Trombone Symposium, an annual weeklong summer workshop at Columbus State University (CSU). He was a soloist on the recording A Beautiful Noise, which features prominent trombonists performing with the CSU Trombone Choir. In 2017, Mr. Curran released a full-length solo CD called Vital Signs, with works by Gillingham, Gershwin, Bourgeois, Pierce, and Verhelst. Another CD was released concurrently by members of the Southeast Trombone Symposium. Called Legacy, it features Mr. Curran prominently throughout.

As a soloist, Mr. Curran performed many works that were written for him, most importantly his solo CD’s title track, Vital Signs of Planet Earth, by David Gillingham. Mr. Curran premiered it with the Central Michigan University Wind Ensemble and has performed it many times since, including in Carnegie Hall. He gave two recitals at the International Trombone Festival, and has been a featured soloist and clinician at other trombone workshops, including Slide Factory, the Arctic Trombone Festival, and the Association of Spanish Trombonists. Twice he was a soloist and judge at the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival in South Korea. Mr. Curran has also performed concertos with the US Air Force Band and bands at the American Trombone Workshop and the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. 

A native of Farmington Hills, Michigan, George Curran received his Bachelor’s degree in music education on euphonium from Central Michigan University and a Master’s degree in performance on bass trombone from the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music. His principal teachers have included John Rojak and Peter Norton, and he is an S. E. Shires trombone artist and has his own line of mouthpieces with Ultimate Brass.