At the invitation of Fritz Reiner, Jay Friedman joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as assistant principal trombone in 1962. Three years later in 1965, seventh music director Jean Martinon promoted him to principal trombone, a post he held until 2025. Friedman — along with his colleague and CSO Harp Lynne Turner — shares the distinction of serving for 63 seasons, the longest-rostered members in the ensemble’s history and one of the longest-serving musicians in any American orchestra. In 2016, the principal trombone chair was endowed by Lisa and Paul Wiggin.
Born in Chicago in 1939, Friedman attended high school in Chicago. Some of his earliest musical memories include attending CSO concerts and hearing Mahler’s Symphony no. 1 for the first time. After attending Yale University on scholarship, Friedman later majored in composition at Roosevelt University. Beginning in 1958, he spent four years as a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and two years with the Florida Symphony before joining the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
In 1962, Friedman joined the CSO’s legendary brass section, whose players then included Principal Trumpet Adolph “Bud” Herseth, fellow trombone section members Frank Crisafulli and Edward Kleinhammer, and tuba Arnold Jacobs. With the CSO, Friedman performed under music directors Fritz Reiner, Jean Martinon, Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim and Riccardo Muti; Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink; principal guest conductors Carlo Maria Giulini, Claudio Abbado and Pierre Boulez, and Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä. Friedman has participated in more than 40 international tours, including the CSO’s first visit to Europe in 1971 with Solti and Giulini, as well as the ensemble’s first tours to Asia, Australia and South America.
His CSO highlights include a 1967 Carnegie Hall concert featuring Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with Martinon, 1969 performances of Smetana’s Má vlast and Mahler’s Ninth Symphony with Rafael Kubelík, Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony with Günter Wand, concert opera performances with Solti of Wagner’s Das Rheingold, as well as Strauss’ Salome featuring Birgit Nilsson in the title role, Beethoven’s Fifth and Brahms’ Second symphonies with Carlos Kleiber in 1978 and 1983 respectively, Beethoven’s Sixth and Bruckner’s Eighth symphonies with Christian Thielemann and Beethoven’s Fifth and Sixth symphonies with George Szell. More recent concert highlights include performances of Mahler and Bruckner symphonies with Haitink and concert opera performances of Verdi’s Otello, Macbeth, Falstaff and Un ballo in maschera along with the Requiem Mass, with Muti.
Friedman has been a soloist with the CSO on several occasions, starting in 1969 with Bloch’s Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra and Creston’s Fantasy for Trombone and Orchestra in 1976 with Solti conducting. In 1991, he performed the world premiere with Solti and the CSO of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Trombone Concerto, written especially for him and commissioned by the Edward Schmidt Family Foundation. In 2018, Friedman — along with trombones Michael Mulcahy and Charles Vernon and Principal Tuba Gene Pokorny — gave the world premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Low Brass Concerto with Muti at Orchestra Hall and on tour performances at Carnegie Hall and several other venues. The new concerto was commissioned by the CSO with support from the Edward F. Schmidt Family Commissioning Fund and written for this unique group of players.
Friedman has also been heard on hundreds of CSO recordings, including as a soloist on the 1966 RCA release of Martin’s Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments, Timpani, Percussion and String Orchestra with Martinon conducting. He is also featured as a performer and a conductor on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Live recording which has remained a best-seller on CSO Resound since its initial release in 2011. During his tenure, recordings by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus have won more than 60 Grammy awards from the Recording Academy.
He has been a soloist with the CSO on several occasions, starting in 1969 with Bloch’s Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra and Creston’s Fantasy for Trombone and Orchestra in 1976 with Sir Georg Solti conducting. In 1991, he performed the world premiere with Solti and the CSO of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Trombone Concerto, written especially for him and commissioned by the Edward Schmidt Family Foundation. In 2018, Friedman, along with his fellow section members, gave world premiere performances of Jennifer Higdon’s Low Brass Concerto with Riccardo Muti at Orchestra Hall and in tour performances at Carnegie Hall and several other venues.
During his CSO tenure, Friedman regularly served as a coach for the trombone section of the Civic Orchestra. As an educator, he has conducted many brass clinics and workshops at music schools and conservatories in the United States and abroad, and has led masterclasses for young musicians during CSO domestic and international tours.
An active conductor, Friedman was named music director of the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest in 1995. In 2002, he was selected as Conductor of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras, with the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest recognized as Orchestra of the Year in 2011. At Friedman’s invitation, Riccardo Muti led the ensemble in several open rehearsals during his tenure as music director. In 2010, Friedman conducted Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in Orchestra Hall with the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest, the choirs of the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest, Chicago Concert Chorale, Concordia University and the Oak Park Children’s Choir. Guest conducting appearances have included stints with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Berlin Staatskapelle, Zurich Opera, National Orchestra of Mexico, Orchestra of the Italian Radio (RAI), Malmö Symphony and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s annual donor concerts, among others.
At Maestro Muti’s invitation in 2016, Friedman led the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in Glière’s Third Symphony (Ilya Murometz) with subsequent Civic podium appearances for Mozart’s Haffner Symphony and Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony. In 2018, Friedman conducted the Civic Orchestra Brass in selections from Wagner’s Ring Cycle as well as Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen Suite and preludes to Wagner’s Lohengrin, Tristan and Isolde and Parsifal with the full ensemble.
In addition, Friedman has conducted several CSO brass concerts over the years, including a special tribute concert for Adolph Herseth to mark his 50th anniversary as principal trumpet. For that program, Friedman created an arrangement for 12 brass players of Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, which has gone on to receive performances by several brass ensembles.
In retirement, Friedman will maintain his studio at Roosevelt University and continue as music director at the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest.
