Bass Trombonist Justin Clark was born and raised in Rhode Island, USA and was encouraged to perform music from a young age. Comfortable in many genres his playing has been described as “delicate while fiercely intense.”

As an orchestral musician he has performed with multiple world class ensembles in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Aside from his operatic and symphonic duties as a member of the Bern Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland since 2006, he is affiliated with the Budapest Festival Orchestra under the leadership of Maestro Ivan Fischer, and the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, both of whom he has toured with and recorded extensively. Other notable collaborations include the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Opernhaus Zurich, Orchestre de la Suisse Romand (Geneva), Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfonica de Madrid, Orquestra Sinfonica Portuguesa, and the Freiburg Barock Orchestra (on historical instruments).

Justin formed “The Tranzient Ensemble”, a group consisting of himself on bass trombone, a violinist, contrabassist, two percussionists, and a pianist, in 2012. Their recordings “Permanent Transience” (2014, Neuklang Records), and “The Moonlit EP” (2018, Self released), both received critical acclaim. They have appeared in Switzerland, Germany, New York, Boston, and Washington D.C.

Justin has a strong interest in passing on his knowledge to the next generation. He was appointed as Professor of Bass Trombone at the Haute Ècole de Musique de Genève (Geneva, Switzerland) in 2013. He has given masterclasses in Germany, Spain, Portugal, the United States, Brazil, Taiwan, and Switzerland.

Like many of us, Justin owes a lot to his former mentors and teachers. In 2003 he completed a Bachelors Degree in the “Music Industry” program at Syracuse University, with studies encompassing the practical activities of the music business as well as the study of music performance, with trombone professor William Harris. He then continued his masters studies with bass trombone icon David Taylor at the Manhattan School of Music from 2003-2005, and with professor Donald Harwood (NY Philharmonic) from 2005-2006. Under their collective tutelage he won several international trombone competitions and accolades.