Nick Lombardelli

A black and white image of Nick Lombardelli playing trombone in front of a standup bass player with a brick wall behind them
Faculty

Instrumental Coordinator

Music - Instrumental Performance (BM)

Nick Lombardelli BM ’15 (Instrumental Performance), MAT ’16 (Music Education) is a trombonist, a composer, and an arranger who runs UArts’ Transfusion Ensemble and the Trombone department. He is among the most sought-after musicians and educators in the Philadelphia area.

Biography

NickLombardelli is a lifelong musician who moved from New Jersey to Philadelphia to attend University of the Arts in 2011 and has been associated with the university since. He began freelancing as a trombonist while in school and has continued to over the past decade, working with various jazz ensembles, rock and pop bands, singer/songwriters, and others. Lombardelli’s interest in composing and arranging originated during his time as a UArts student and that has led to opportunities writing and arranging for Adam Blackstone, Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Philly POPS, and many other groups and musicians. 

He has also performed or recorded with artists like Cory Wong, Adam Blackstone, Nestor Torres, Pablo Batista, and Larry McKenna. The music Lombardelli is most passionate about performing is jazz, whether in big bands, small ensembles, or anything in between. His original music blends improvisation, through-composition, hard bop, soul, and classical music. Lombardelli released his first jazz album, Secret Suite, in 2020 and is currently working on his next one.

Experience

  • Lombardellil has performed and/or recorded with Cory Wong, Adam Blackstone, Ben Folds, Jamie Cullum, Jazmine Sullivan, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philly POPS, Larry McKenna, John Swana, Pablo Batista, Nestor Torres, Bakithi Kumalo, Sean Jones, Odean Pope, Orrin Evans, and Norman David.

  • He has composed, arranged, and/or transcribed for Cynthia Erivo, Adam Blackstone, Cory Wong, the Philly POPS, Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, Mason Brothers, UArts’ “Z” Big Band, UArts’ Transfusion Ensemble, and South Philly Big Band.

  • Lombardelli has also performed at several premier venues, including the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Mann Center, the Kennedy Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Dizzy’s Club.

Awards & Accolades

  • 2014 International Trombone Association Carl Fontana Jazz Trombone Competition, first place 

  • University of the Arts, Director’s Scholarship

  • 2014 and 2015 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra, first trombone

From a review of Nick Lombardelli’s Secret Suite:

“Secret Suite is a totally unique album with an infectious vibe. The music gives off a slight nostalgic feel, reminiscent of jazz recordings from the 1950s or early 1960s. There is a warm, live quality here, which sounds more like musicians playing in a concert hall than in a recording studio.”

– Kyle Simpler, All About Jazz, 2021 (4 stars)