Gordon Wolfe, Trombone Masterclass

Gordon Wolfe, Principal Trombone, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

A native of Nelson, BC, Gordon Wolfe joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Trombone in 2001 and took over the role of Principal Trombone in 2006.

Gordon began his musical training in Junior High School, where he played the euphonium, tuba and bassoon. He was finally forced to focus on the trombone after a lecture by his band teacher for being a “jack of all trades”. After five long years, Gordon received his Bachelor Degree in Music Education at the University of Victoria, finally achieving his goal of becoming a band teacher. After one day of supply teaching, he decided to take a more serious shot at being a trombonist.

Gordon returned to the University of Victoria to finish his Master’s Degree in Music Performance after spending one year in the Orchestral Training program at McGill University. He was fortunate to study with such world-class teachers as Thomas Eadie, Ian McDougall and Peter Sullivan.

In February of 1996 he auditioned for and won the second trombone position with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. One month later, he won the same position with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. During his five years in Winnipeg, Gordon enjoyed teaching at the University of Manitoba, performing with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra and touring Manitoba with Northern Brass, a brass quintet made up of members of the WSO.

In addition to his work with the TSO, Gordon has kept very busy during the summer months as Principal Trombone of the Lancaster Festival Orchestra in Ohio, the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, Colorado and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Idaho. He has also performed as a guest with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the National Arts Centre Orchestra and was a founding member of the Central Park Brass. The CPB is a privately funded brass quintet that performs free concerts in New York City’s Central Park. Education is a key focus for the group, regularly visiting the Union Settlements in Harlem to work with less privileged children.

Outside of his orchestral work, he has been featured as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Toronto and the Hannaford Street Silver Band.

Gordon is thrilled to be living and working in Toronto. He is currently on faculty at the Glenn Gould School where he has the opportunity to work with some of the best young brass players in Canada. He has also enjoyed getting involved with many of the TSO’s educational programmes, performing for thousands of students in the Greater Toronto Area