Chicago principal to retire after 63 years

We understand that principal trombone Jay Friedman will retired from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in September 2025. He may well be currently the longest serving principal player in any leading orchestra worldwide.

Auditions have been announced for his position.

From his CSO CV:
Jay Friedman joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as assistant principal trombone in 1962 under Fritz Reiner and was appointed principal in 1965 by Jean Martinon. He attended Yale University on a scholarship and later majored in composition at Roosevelt University. He was soloist with the CSO on several occasions, in 1969 with Bloch’s Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra and Creston’s Fantasy for Trombone and Orchestra in 1976 with Sir Georg Solti conducting. In 1991, he performed the world premiere with Solti and the CSO of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Trombone Concerto, written especially for him. In 2018, Friedman with his section gave world premiere performances of Jennifer Higdon’s Low Brass Concerto with Riccardo Muti at Orchestra Hall and Carnegie Hall.

An active conductor, Friedman was named music director of the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest in 1995. In 2010, Friedman conducted Mahler’s Eighth Symphony (Symphony of a Thousand) at Symphony Center. At the invitation of Riccardo Muti, he conducted Glière’s monumental 3rd Symphony in 2016 with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and in 2017 Mozart’s Haffner Symphony and Bruckner’s 7th Symphony.

Photo: Todd Rosenberg/CSO

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