Gene Pokorny
The University of Wyoming Department of Music will host Gene Pokorny, longtime principal
tuba of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, for a recital and masterclass Thursday, March
12, in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall.
The solo recital will be held at 1:10 p.m., followed by the masterclass at 2:20 p.m.
Both events are free, and all are welcome.
The orchestra’s Arnold Jacobs Principal Tuba Chair, Pokorny is widely regarded as
one of the world’s greatest brass players. Since joining the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
in 1989, he has built a career that spans the world’s elite orchestras, including
the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic. His iconic sound also is
immortalized in cinematic history; while in Los Angeles, he performed on the soundtracks
for blockbuster films such as “Jurassic Park” and “The Fugitive.”
When Pokorny isn’t counting rests in the back row of Orchestra Hall, he can be found
teaching at music festivals and performing solo recitals worldwide. He has recorded
several solo and educational discs, and he assisted Rolling Stones trombonist Michael
Davis in recording several educational workbook CDs. He received an Outstanding Alumnus
Award from the University of Southern California and an honorary doctorate from the
University of Redlands.
Beyond the concert stage, Pokorny is a dedicated educator and a man of diverse passions,
balancing his time between orchestral performances, teaching at Northwestern University
and his own Pokorny Low Brass Seminar. A member of the Union Pacific (Railroad) Historical
Society and the Union Pacific Steam Club, Pokorny is an avid “foamer” (train enthusiast)
and a fan of “The Three Stooges.”
For more information, contact Alan Harvey at aharvey5@uwyo.edu.
