Ko-ichiro Yamamoto

Ko-ichiro Yamamoto, one of the foremost Japanese trombonists of his generation, is the principal trombonist of the Seattle Symphony, Saito- Kinen Orchestras and a faculty member of the University of Washington School of Music. He formerly was a trombonist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York for ten seasons.

Active as a soloist, recitalist, chamber music performer, and clinician, Ko-ichiro has performed with many groups, including the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Chamber Orchestra, as a guest solo principal trombonist of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo. He has been an active recording artist and performed on numerous TV and movie recordings in New York and Tokyo. He has been very active giving recitals though out Japan and US.

Ko-ichiro has been a guest soloist with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band (OMSB), New Philharmonic Japan and U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own). Recently, he was a feature soloist of both 2007 Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, DC. and 2008 at the international trombone festival in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was a soloist with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra in world premiere performances of Sam Jones's Trombone Concerto in April of 2009.

As a clinician, he has given master classes numerals colleges both U.S and Asia. Ko-ichiro was feature soloist and a faculty of Asian Trombone Seminar in Taiwan 2009, feature soloist and clinician of the Trombone Day in Kumano 2009 and featured soloist and a trombone facility of Curuso Internacional Semena Musical de Salseda Spain 2009.

He has won numerous awards, prizes, and scholarships in Japan and abroad, including fourth place in the International Trombone Association Competition in Australia (1998), first grand prize of the Japan Wind and Percussion Competition (1991), and diploma prize at the Prague International Music Competition (1992).

Born in Tokyo, he began studying trombone at age 12 with his father, Tatsuo Yamamoto, and Mr.Yoshiki Hakoyama. After studying at Tokyo College of Music Senior High School, he was accepted at the Franz Liszt Music Academy as a student of Gusztav Hoena and Sztan Tivador. While at the academy, he joined the Budapest Festival Orchestra as a trombonist. He studied with Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, at The Juilliard School from 1994-96.

His discography includes Proof and Family Tree (Kosei Publishing) and Trombone Concerto (Octavia Recordings) and Ko-ichiro has been a Yamaha performing artist/clinician since 2008 and performing on new Yamaha Xeno 882OR prototype trombone.