Mr. Joseph D. Foley

A native of Concord, New Hampshire, Joseph Foley attended Boston University as a Trustee Scholar, where he studied trumpet with Roger Voisin, Rolf Smedvig, and Peter Chapman. There he received both his Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees, and was twice named "Outstanding Brass Player." His other teachers include Arnold Jacobs, Bob McCoy, Vince Penzerella, and James Pandolfi. He has performed in more than a dozen countries on four continents.

Mr. Foley is Principal Trumpet of the Portland Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra of Houston, TX. He recently toured China as Guest Principal Trumpet of the Pacific Symphony, performing Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. As an orchestral musician he has also performed and toured with such prestigious ensembles as the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Ballet of London, and the New York Philharmonic.

An active soloist, he has performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, the Juneau Symphony, and at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall. He was soloist in the world premiere of the Trumpet Concerto by Harold Shapero.

He can be heard on recordings of the Boston Symphony, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Atlantic Brass, Empire Brass, the Metropolitan Opera Brass and many others. “Nightsongs”, a collaboration of music for trumpet and piano with Bonnie Anderson, was released on the Summit Records label to critical acclaim.

A highly sought-after chamber musician, he is a former member of the Atlantic Brass Quintet, which garnered grand prizes at six international competitions during his tenure. He has performed with the Boston Symphony Brass Quintet, the Empire Brass, Burning River Brass, ALEA III, and at the Santa Fe, Buzzards Bay, and Newport Chamber Music Festivals.

An enthusiastic teacher, Mr. Foley has taught at many institutions including Boston University, Berkshire Summer Music, the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and the New England Conservatory Preparatory Division. A clinician for the Conn-Selmer Corporation and Vincent Bach, he has presented master classes around the world. He is Professor of Trumpet at Rhode Island College, where in addition to teaching trumpet and chamber music, he directs the RIC Wind Ensemble and RIC Jazz Band.