Alan Tolbert takes pride in bringing people together through performance, education, and music administration. From Shippensburg, PA, Alan has enjoyed a varied career throughout the US and currently serves as the Acting Principal Trumpet of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
Alan holds a bachelor’s degree from Temple University and an Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music. He studied with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, including his teacher, former Principal Trumpet David Bilger, and Second Trumpet Anthony Prisk. While at Curtis, Alan joined the York Symphony Orchestra as Second Trumpet.
After graduating from Curtis, Alan was a fellow at the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami Beach, FL. In January 2025, Alan joined the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra as Acting Third/Utility Trumpet. He then served as Acting Principal Trumpet of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans for the 2025-2026 season. Alan played with the Philadelphia Orchestra in their performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in Philadelphia and Carnegie Hall in March 2026.
Alan has appeared as a soloist with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra on Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and on Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. While in New Orleans, Alan played with the Queens of the Stone Age on their Catacombs tour and recorded theme music for Monday Night Football. Alan can be heard playing in live recordings of world premiere performances of Conrad Tao’s Clang and Shudder and Carlos Simon’s Zodiac Suite with the Jacksonville Symphony.
While a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, Alan commissioned composer Ted Babcock to write a string quartet for their classmates, the Viano String Quartet. The piece featured testimonies given by healthcare professionals from Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia about the toll that working in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic exacted on the healthcare community.
In the summer, Alan serves as the Tanglewood Music Center’s Artist Assistant. Alan was a Tanglewood Guide in 2023 after being a Tanglewood fellow for two summers. In August 2025 Alan played with the Boston Pops at Tanglewood in their John Williams Film Music Concert.
First among the great teachers who invested so much in Alan’s journey are his teachers and band directors from Shippensburg, PA: Mark Wilson, Jen Enders, Robert Maag, and Trever Famulare. Alan enjoys the challenge of managing a busy performance career along with having Type 1.5 Diabetes, as well as spending time with his nephews.