About Me
Derek Gullett was appointed principal trombonist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in the spring of 2025 by music director Jun Märkl. He began performing with the group shortly after in June of 2025.
Originally from Uniontown, Ohio, Derek’s earlier studies were with James Albrecht, principal trombonist of the Reno Philharmonic, and Richard Stout, second trombonist of the Cleveland Orchestra. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he enrolled as the Edwin B. Garrigues fellow to further his studies under Nitzan Haroz and Matthew Vaughn, principal and co-principal trombonists of the Philadelphia Orchestra, respectively. Less than two years later, he began supplementary studies on bass trombone with Blair Bollinger, bass trombonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Also during his conservatory education, he very often studied with Craig Knox, principal tubist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Early into his studies in Philadelphia, he began to frequently perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra on both tenor and bass trombone and can be heard on numerous recording projects of theirs. As a student, he spent his summers as a trombone fellow with the National Repertory Orchestra and a trombone and euphonium fellow with the Music Academy of the West, where he studied with Mark Lawrence, former principal trombonist of the San Francisco Symphony and former trombone faculty at the Colburn School, and Weston Sprott, second trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Additional studies with Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic and trombone faculty at the Juilliard School, were also extremely influential in his development. Some of his other festival engagements include appearances at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival featuring a program presented by the New York Philharmonic as well as serving as the solo trombonist of the Breckenridge International Festival of the Arts Chamber Orchestra. In the summer of 2023, he served as the principal trombonist and bass trumpeter of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra in Lucerne, Switzerland. He has also had the honor of appearing as guest principal trombonist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, and National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa, Ontario. During the early 2025 winter season, Derek served as acting second trombonist of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra.
Over the course of his career thus far, Derek has taken opportunities to tour the world with a variety of ensembles and has performed in coveted venues such as Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Hilbert Circle Theatre, KKL Luzern, Marian Anderson Hall, Musikverein Wien, and Severance Music Center. He has also had the pleasure of collaborating with world-renowned conductors including Marin Alsop, Stéphane Denève, Kevin John Edusei, Hannu Lintu, Jun Märkl, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Rafael Payare, Michael Tilson-Thomas, Osmo Vänskä, Franz Welser-Möst, and John Williams.
In addition to being a passionate performer, Derek is equally at home in a teaching environment. He previously served as trombone and euphonium faculty at Philadelphia’s Girard College and currently maintains a studio of skilled musicians. Many of his students have seen success in their musical endeavors by earning degrees in music and being appointed in professional ensembles. He has also had the pleasure of presenting masterclasses at the University of Akron and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
Outside of performing and teaching, Derek also takes time to compose and arrange music of his own. He has premiered and published numerous works, most notably an original trombone quartet, pieces for solo brass, and various other works for chamber brass ensembles. In addition to expanding the brass repertoire himself, he has also had a hand in commissioning numerous new works for brass musicians, many of which have been widely performed and recorded.
In his free time outside of music, Derek is a passionate Mario Kart player, a big fan of barbecue, and enjoys spending time with his cat, Petra.
Derek is a performing artist and clinician for the Edwards Instrument Company and Greg Black Mouthpieces.
