Bass Trombonist and Educator Alan Carr Named Assistant Chair of Instrumental Studies

Boston Conservatory at Berklee is pleased to appoint Dr. Alan Carr to the role of assistant chair of instrumental studies within the school’s Music Division. Beginning December 4, he will support Boston Conservatory’s Instrumental Studies Department alongside Chair Matthew Marsit. In this new role, Carr will manage the daily operations of the Conservatory’s extensive ensemble program while working to build and maintain a network of community partners in support of the Music Division’s performances and curriculum.

To his new position, Carr brings remarkable artistry and a wide array of experience, along with a genuine sense of curiosity and a collaborative spirit. As an acclaimed bass trombonist, he is known for his versatility, which transcends the traditional boundaries of classical music genres. Carr has performed across North America and Europe in both orchestral and chamber music settings. He is also an accomplished educator, most recently serving as director of brass studies and assistant professor of music at George Mason University. He also teaches at the University of Maine at Augusta and New England Music Camp, and previously served on the faculty at Bates College and Concordia University Wisconsin.

Carr is the bass trombonist in the American Festival Pops Orchestra and has performed with orchestras throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He has worked with the Alabama, Baltimore, Dubuque, Hartford, and Portland symphony orchestras, the Juilliard Orchestra, Ensemble Connect at Carnegie Hall, and the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria. As a chamber musician, Carr has performed and recorded with the American Brass Quintet, Barclay Brass, Isthmus Brass Ensemble, King’s Brass, and Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass. He has recorded on the Albany, Naxos, Summit, and Peer 2 record labels. 

Carr is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory (B.M.) and the Juilliard School (M.M.). He received an artist diploma from Yale University (A.D.), and earned his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a Paul J. Collins Distinguished Fellow.

Learn more about Alan Carr and Boston Conservatory’s music degree programs.