We continue our weekly release of Featured Artists appearing at this year's British Trombone Festival.

This week, introducing Josh Cirtina.

Josh Cirtina is Principal Bass Trombone of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, trombonist & artistic director of the Slide Action quartet, Professor of Bass Trombone at the Royal College of Music and an Associate of both the Royal Northern College of Music and Royal Academy of Music.

A member of the RPO since 2019, Josh has performed with most UK orchestras including the London Symphony, Sinfonia of London, London Philharmonic,
BBC Symphony, Royal Opera House, Philharmonia, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Aurora, BBC Philharmonic, Halle, Opera North & Ulster Orchestras.

Further afield, Josh has also worked with orchestras across Europe and was a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester from 2017-2019. He records regularly for film and TV and can be heard on soundtracks including The Matrix: Resurrections, Bugonia, The Flash, Black Mirror, Aquaman 2, Spiderman: Across the Spider Verse and more.

In 2023 Josh was extremely fortunate to be chosen as the trombonist in the Coronation Orchestra for the Coronation of King Charles III. As a soloist, in 2014 Josh won both the British Trombone Society ‘Bob Hughes’ and International Trombone Association ‘George Roberts’ competitions. He was also awarded the ‘Don Lusher’ award for best trombone at the 2014 Brass in Concert championships. Following this he performed Elgar Howarth’s concerto ‘Spooks’ at the 2016 RNCM Wind & Brass Festival and in 2022 performed the premiere of Robin Haigh’s concerto for 4 trombones ‘THE DREAMERS’ alongside Slide Action. In 2024 he was a featured artist at the British Trombone Festival.

In late 2026 Josh will release his debut solo album ‘Songs for last trombone’, exploring what the bass trombone is capable of and shining a light on music from underrepresented composers.

Josh was delighted to be appointed Professor of Bass Trombone at the Royal College of Music in Spring 2025, joining a world class brass department at the forefront of higher education. In addition to working with the bass trombones, he also directs the low brass programmes and coaches chamber music. Outside of the RCM Josh regularly gives masterclasses at institutions around the UK & the world in the RNCM, RAM, Guildhall and Hochschule für Musik Trossingen.

Having begun playing in brass bands, Josh was a member of the Fairey Band from
2013-16 and has performed with most of the UK’s top brass bands including Cory, Black Dyke and Grimethorpe. Josh studied at the RNCM and RAM where he studied with Adrian Morris, Bob Hughes, Keith McNicoll, Christian Jones and Ian Bousfield. Away from the trombone, Josh is a prolific arranger and a director of the publishing house Resonata Music and on the Board of Directors at the RPO.