Gregory Spiridopoulos
Professor, Trombone; Brass Area Coordinator
Trombonist Greg Spiridopoulos has gained recognition as one of the most sought after trombonists in New England. Since 2001, Mr. Spiridopoulos has been principal trombone of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, which is dedicated to commissioning and recording new American works. He can be heard on the Albany Symphony’s 2014 Grammy winning album, Conjurer, featuring music by John Corigliano, and the 2016 Grammy nominated album, Kabir Padavali, featuring music by Christopher Rouse. The Albany Times Union hailed Mr. Spiridopoulos’s performance of the Pulitzer Prize winning Trombone Concerto, by Christopher Rouse, as one of 2014’s highlight moments in live classical music. In 2018, as a part of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts SHIFT Festival, Mr. Spiridopoulos performed with the Albany Symphony Brass Quintet on the steps of the nation’s capital, in a special live-stream performance sponsored by National Public Radio, the Kennedy Center, and the office of New York Senator, Chuck Schumer.
In addition to the Albany Symphony, Mr. Spiridopoulos is principal trombone of the Glimmerglass Opera Festival Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and second trombone of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Seiji Ozawa, James Levine, Bernard Haitink, Mstistlav Rostropovich and Robert Spano. With the Boston Pops, Spiridopoulos has performed under the direction of Keith Lockhart, John Williams and Erich Kunzel. Christopher Hogwood, Grant Llewellyn, John Nelson and Harry Christophers have led his appearances with the Handel and Haydn Society. For his work with Handel and Haydn, Mr. Spiridopoulos designed and built replica Classical Period alto and tenor trombones, which can be heard on the 2011 recording of Mozart’s Requiem, under the direction of Harry Christophers, on the CORO record label.
In 2013, Rolf Smedvig appointed Mr. Spiridopoulos as trombonist of the internationally acclaimed Empire Brass Quintet. With EBQ, he performed throughout the United States, including performances at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Spivey Hall in Atlanta, Georgia, with organist Alan Morrison, and at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis and the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin, with organist Douglas Major. In 2014, the Empire Brass premiered Zhou Tian’s Night Shining White at Colgate University. Spiridopoulos has also toured with the Burning River Brass ensemble, which included performances at Cleveland’s Severance Hall and New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has appeared multiple times at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City, with organist/composer Julian Wachner and the Majestic Brass Quintet, and can be heard on Mr. Wachner’s Choral Music, Vol. 2, on Naxos Records.
As a highly regarded New England free-lance musician, Mr. Spiridopoulos has performed with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Boston Modern Opera Project, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Cantata Singers of Boston, Emmanuel Music, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, United States Coast Guard Band, among many others. He has been a featured soloist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, at the International Trumpet Association Conferences in Grand Rapids, MI (2013) and Hershey, PA (2017), Harvard University Summer Pops, Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, Valley Winds, and the University of Massachusetts Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Concert Bands. Mr. Spiridopoulos’s musical versatility crosses into performances with jazz and big bands, sharing the stage with Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Bernadette Peters, Max Roach, Mel Torme, the Jimmy Dorsey Band, and many more.
Since his appointment to the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2010, Mr. Spiridopoulos has amassed over 1,500 live performances, which have included solo recitals and master classes presented at Yale University, Eastman School of Music, McGill University, University of North Texas, Texas Tech, Texas Christian University, Oklahoma City University, East Carolina University, Ithaca College, Boston University, and the University of New Hampshire.
Since 2016, Mr. Spiridopoulos has served as an international adjudicator of the Burke & Bagley Prize Competition for Brass Quintet. He writes peer reviews of commercially released CD recordings for the International Trombone Association Journal, and has recorded for Naxos Records, Albany Records, Arsis Audio, Koch Int’L Classics, the CORO label, Boston Brass Series, Mark Records, and Capstone Records.
A native of Vienna, Virginia, Spiridopoulos studied with Milton Stevens and Lindsey Smith before studying with Curtis Olsen and Philip Sinder at Michigan State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Music. While at MSU, he was a proud member of the Spartan Marching Band. He earned his Master of Music from Boston University, studying with Ronald Barron and Scott Hartman.
Mr. Spiridopoulos is a Stephens Brass Instruments Performing Artist.