Achilles Liarmakopoulos, trombone

Renowned for his lyrical expressiveness and technical brilliance, Achilles stands as one of the most compelling trombone soloists today. He has toured extensively throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia, performing and educating in the world’s most important venues and institutions including as a member of Candian Brass, the Athens State Orchestra (Greece), Triple Cortado and Pink Martini. 

Achilles holds degrees from the Yale University School of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, San Francisco Conservatory and the Philippos Nakas Conservatory in his hometown of Athens, Greece. Upon completion of his studies, he won the position of principal trombone of the Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic, Bern Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, and European Union Youth Orchestra. 

As a recitalist, Achilles has performed worldwide and been awarded honors at competitions including as the Grand Prize Winner of the Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition, the Christian Lindberg International Competition, the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe (YMFE) and the International Trombone Festival’s Robert Marsteller/Conn-Selmer and Larry Wiehe solo competitions. He was also awarded the Alexandros S. Onassis Foundation and Greek State Scholarship Foundation educational scholarships. 

His discography includes six solo albums: Volar with Venezuelan group Cuatrombon, Obvious with French harp Soloist Coline-Marie Orliac, Ethereal with 20th and 21st-century lyrical works from around the world, Trombone Atrevido dedicated to Brazilian choro music, Discoveries (ODEG) with contemporary compositions, Tango Distinto (NAXOS) with Astor Piazzolla’s music, fifteen solo singles, dozens recordings with the Canadian Brass, and numerous appearances on classical, pop, and Latin albums.