Mike Boschen
Mike Boschen began playing the trombone in fourth grade because his arms were long enough to reach all the positions. While studying with Eric Carlson and Glenn Dodson of the Philadelphia Orchestra in high school he decided to pursue a career as a musician. He subsequently attended the Eastman and Juilliard schools of music where he studied with Doc Marcellus, Per Brevig, and Joe Alessi.
Mike loves all styles of music, and spent his next years living in Manhattan and freelancing, performing and recording lots of great music for good, decent, or sometimes no money with myriad groups, including but not limited to the Metropolitan Opera, the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Birdland Big Band, Slide Hampton, Audra MacDonald, Wayne Shorter, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Steve Tyrell, Orchestra of St. Luke's, the O'Jays, the Extension Ensemble, the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse, and the Ed Palermo Big Band. Mike also played in the orchestra of Broadway shows The Full Monty, The Frogs, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Never Gonna Dance, South Pacific, and subbed in dozens of others. He recorded many commercial jingles, movie scores, and even got paid to pretend to play his trombone in the movie Mona Lisa Smile and a goofy eBay commercial.
In 2009 Mike left New York and travelled with his wife through all 50 states to interview 50 couples married for 50 years or more with the intention of sharing what they could learn about healthy long term relationships in a book or podcast, which will happen someday. They then lived in the charming town of Cape May, NJ for several years where they grew their family and started a homemade organic ice cream shop. Mike also spent many hours honing his golf game and floating in the ocean.
While in Cape May Mike played loads of jazz with his great friend George Mesterhazy and performed regularly with the Baltimore Symphony and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. When offered the opportunity to join the orchestra of the Broadway musical Matilda, Mike and his family decided to return to New York. He has since been a member of the orchestras for the beautiful Lincoln Center production of My Fair Lady and the hilarious show Tootsie.
Following his return to his music family in New York, Mike has performed and/or recorded with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, the New York Philharmonic, the New York Pops, the John Daversa Big Band, Jesse Harris, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, David Yazbek, Gabe Kahane, the Little Orchestra Society, the Birdland Big Band, the Mostly Mozart Festival, the Radio City Spectacular, the Ed Palermo Big Band, and many other groups you've never heard of but are wonderfully creative. He is currently a member of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Ed Palermo Big Band, Cosmo with Jesse Harris, CJ Camerieri, Jeremy Gustafson, and Will Graefe, and David Yazbek’s band. Mike has also worked with his great friend Andrew Bove to co-produce and conduct a few Epic Low Brass videos, featuring over 40 of New York City’s finest low brass players.
Mike has been lucky to have had many wonderful mentors throughout his life, and has been working with students as a teacher, coach, and clinician for over 20 years. He’s been a faculty member of Sarah Lawrence College, The Juilliard School’s Pre College, the Bar Harbor Brass Week, and currently is on the music faculty of Montclair State University’s John J. Cali School of Music in New Jersey. Mike is very happy that so many of his students have moved on to successful perfomring and teaching careers in music.
Mike is completely in love with his wife, his three daughters, and his son, and is enjoying finding his balance in his golf swing.