Biography

Dr. Alex van Duuren is a versatile trombonist currently serving as Associate Professor of Trombone at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Bass Trombone for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his work with the Knoxville Symphony and the University of Tennessee, he is a member of the Slides in Harmony trombone quartet, a nationally touring chamber ensemble, and bass trombone in the Lakeside Symphony. In addition to his activities on trombone, he performs regularly on piano, serving as an accompanist for his students and guest artists at the University of Tennessee.

Alex enjoys an active career as a solo and chamber performer, performing solo recitals recently at the Universidad de Las Artes in Guayaquil, Ecuador and at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, with an upcoming performance at the 2027 Lille Trombone Festival in Lille, France. He also has several impactful research grants through his professorship; he was a co-lead commissioner of composer Kevin Day of a Concerto for Horn, Trombone, and Wind Ensemble, and a recent recipient of an Ascent Grant of $50,000 for a performance of a live movie soundtrack by the UT Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to maintaining a robust performing schedule, Alex also enjoys an active career in the recording studio, and his solo album, Vocalizations, is available on most streaming services. He can be heard playing trombone and bass trombone on the 2020 film The Wolf of Snow Hollow, with the American Chamber Winds on Radix Tyrannis and Live at WASBE (Mark Custom Records), and in the capacity of producer on La Loba, a solo album released by Dr. Katie Johnson-Webb on Summit Records.

Alex completed his doctorate at the University of Arizona, simultaneously completing a doctoral minor in Entrepreneurship through the Eller College of Management and the nationally renowned McGuire Entrepreneurship Program. In 2018, he was honored with the TN Governor’s School for the Fine Arts Outstanding Teacher Award, and was a 2025 finalist for the UTK Chancellor’s Teaching Award.