Trombonist Liam Glendening holds the principal chair of both the Maryland Symphony and Portland Symphony Orchestras. He has also performed alongside the Baltimore Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and San Diego Symphony orchestras. A passionate chamber musician, Liam is a founding member of the award-winning Kresge Trombone Quartet, and plays with the Terrapin Brass Quintet. As a freelance musician, Liam performs and serves as a teacher and clinician across the east coast.
Liam’s musical career began on the cello but after tendonitis damaged his bowing hand he decided to follow in his father and grandfather’s footsteps by taking up the trombone. While he studied with his father during high school, Liam was a member of the National Youth Orchestra and won the American Trombone Workshop’s solo competition. He attended Vanderbilt University as a Cornelius Vanderbilt scholar and later joined Northwestern University’s world renowned trombone studio during his masters. He spent three years as the trombone fellow for the Aspen Music Festival and School. His past teachers include Jeremy Wilson, Douglas Wright, Per Brevig, Gene Pokorny, Warren Deck, and Michael Mulcahy.
Liam also plays the theremin; he has premiered several new chamber works featuring the instrument and performed in the Nashville production of Be More Chill on both theremin and trombone. He also performs on the bass guitar, and he moonlights as a recording engineer for both classical chamber ensembles and rock bands. In his free time he writes short stories, bakes bread, and runs with his dog, Arlo.
