Charlotte Symphony
Wingate University
Tom Burge is a trombonist with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. He also is the Low Brass Instructor at Wingate University and a clinician and teacher in his Charlotte-based private studio. Burge is host of the radio show “Sunday Evening” on classical public radio station 89.9 WDAV and has been a guest morning, midday, and evening presenter on Boston-based 99.5 WGBH.
A native of Australia, Burge has performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, The Queensland Orchestra, and Canberra Symphony Orchestra.
He earned his Masters Degree in 1996 as a full scholarship student at the Juilliard School, having received a Queen Elizabeth II Award. Now living in the United States, Burge has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Augusta Symphony Orchestra, Winston Salem Symphony Orchestra, and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.
In academia, before serving as the Low Brass Instructor at Wingate University, Burge was Trombone Instructor at Davidson College, Chair of the Brass Department at the Canberra School of Music at the Australian National University. He gives master classes, clinics, and recitals around the world, and his students perform as soloists and in orchestras internationally.
Burge gave the Australian premiere of Eric Ewazen’s trombone concerto “Visions of Light” and was a guest soloist at the 2012 American Trombone Workshop held in Washington DC where he performed Ewazen’s “Sonata for Trombone” with the composer at the piano. At the same festival, he was a guest performer with the Washington Trombone Ensemble.
In the United States, he has appeared as a guest clinician and soloist at UCLA, California State University in Northridge, UNC at Chapel Hill, UNC School of the Arts, Davidson College, Appalachian State University, Ouachita Baptist University, Winthrop University, and Gardner Webb University. He recently appeared as soloist with the Wingate University Wind Ensemble in October 2015, and has also appeared in Santiago where he gave a master class at the Universidad de Chile. Burge appears regularly as a soloist in many venues around Charlotte. He often is featured on the Rush Hour Recital series of Pulse: Young Affiliates of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, having performed the inaugural recital in 2013.
Internationally, Burge appears at the Spoleto Festival and also was a guest recital performer at the 1999 Tubamania Festival in Sydney Australia, the 2005 Melbourne International Brass Festival, and the 2013 International Trumpet Guild Conference. He was recently a guest presenter at the performed at the 2006 ITEC conference in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was invited by Joe Alessi to be a guest performer with the Juilliard Trombone Choir at the 2016 ITF in New York City, which he attended in June of that year.
In addition to his work as performer, teacher, and radio host, Burge has had considerable experience as a conductor. He was the Musical Director of the Canberra Choral Society, the Australian National University Brass Ensemble, and the national-award-winning Hall Village Brass Band. He is the immediate previous Musical Director of the Queen City Brass Band.
To find out more, visit Tom’s website at www.tomburge.com
thomasburge2004@yahoo.com.au