Jack Price (b. 2001) has been appointed bass trombonist of the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, Finland. Price is from Canada and currently lives in The Hague in the Netherlands, and he is new to UMO, but quite experienced as a musician. He will take up his permanent post at the beginning of 2027.
Price completed his bachelor’s degree at McGill University in Montreal and master’s degree at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague. He has played with numerous orchestras and big bands, such as the Residentie Orkest, the Janus Jazz Orchestra, Jong Metropole, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and the Montreal Symphony. Price is a founding member of the Slides Up trombone ensemble. He has recently recorded a free jazz album with Stefano Giulio. In 2024, Price was awarded the Talent Klassiek Prize by the Keep an Eye Foundation.
More than 30 candidates took part in the open, international recruitment process. The recruitment process comprised four stages. The first stage was conducted as an anonymous recorded audition, on the basis of which a shortlist of the applicants were invited to the live audition. The UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra could also invite applicants directly to the first round based on prior experience. In addition to the recorded audition, the first two rounds of the live audition were performed anonymously, and only the final round took place face-to-face in front of a ten-member jury. The audition rounds consisted of solo and section playing with and without the rhythm section, improvisation tasks, as well as an interview. The jury included the orchestra’s trombonists, section leaders and chief conductor, as well as Tom Bildo, a former trombonist with both UMO and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, as an external expert.
– I am thrilled beyond imagination to have the opportunity to join this incredible ensemble. It is a tremendous honour to have been considered for the position and to have been selected to join such an outstanding group. I very much look forward to joining the band and working on fitting my sound into theirs. The members of the band I have met have been lovely and inviting, and I cannot wait to join in their artistry, Price comments.
– I am very pleased to welcome Jack Price as a permanent member of our ensemble. Throughout the audition process, he demonstrated brilliant mastery of the instrument, remarkable confidence, astonishing consistency, and versatile musicality. UMO gains both a top-class instrumentalist and a young, ambitious artist in one package, says Ville Vannemaa, Chief Conductor of UMO.
– I am very pleased we have a skilful new bass trombonist in our section and an aspiring young musician in our orchestra. Jack convinced the committee with his resonant sound, rhythmic phrasing and strong low register. I’m excited to get to work together, says Kasperi Sarikoski, the trombone section leader.
– As an employer, I am happy that, through the audition, we found a new member for our team who perfectly complements our trombone section. The large number of applicants also shows that our orchestra is regarded worldwide as an attractive and internationally top-class workplace, says Henriika Steidel-Luoto, Managing Director of the UMO Foundation.
Photo: Alex Schröder