James Olin
Trombone
James Olin was born in Schenectady, New York, and began musical studies on the piano at the age of five. By high school Olin had performed professionally within the diverse musical genres of classical, opera, jazz, rock, blues and country-western. Olin holds degrees from the Interlochen Arts Academy and Northwestern University, where his major teachers included Frank Crisafulli, Jay Friedman, and David Sporny. Olin continued studies at several summer music festivals including those at Oberlin, Aspen, Monteux, and Tanglewood.
Currently Co-principal Trombone with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Olin joined the BSO in 1976 as second, assistant first, and utility trombone and was promoted to co-principal trombone in 1980, then to principal trombone in 1983. In 2005 he initiated the move back to co-principal trombone after having served 22 years as principal.
Olin is on the faculty of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he has taught chamber music, pedagogy, repertory classes, and lessons in applied trombone since 1980. As the Coordinator of Brass, Olin’s duties include directing the Peabody Brass Ensemble, the Peabody Brass Band, and the Trombody Peabones trombone choir.
Formerly principal trombonist with the Grand Teton Music Festival and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Olin has given frequent master classes at the Eastern Trombone Workshop, the International Trombone Association, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Asian Youth Orchestra in Hong Kong.
Olin has performed as soloist with the Baltimore Symphony, Roanoke Symphony, United States Navy Band, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Pro Musica Rara, Gardner-Webb Orchestra, and the Peabody Wind Ensemble. Olin has performed under many of the world's finest conductors, including Solti, Bernstein, Ozawa, Levine, Rozhdestvensky, Zinman, and Temirkanov, and can be heard on over twenty-five recordings with the Baltimore Symphony on the CRI, Argo, Sony, Columbia, Telarc, Vox, Vanguard, and Nonesuch labels.
