John D. Rojak has been a member of the American Brass Quintet since January 1991. He has worked as a bass trombonist with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New York Pops, Little Orchestra Society, Riverside Symphony, and Stamford Symphony. He has performed with the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic, and has performed and recorded with the N.Y. Philharmonic, Orpheus, N.Y. Chamber Symphony, and Solisti N.Y. He has performed with ballet companies including the San Francisco, China, Royal, Bolshoi, Kirov, and Moiseyev ballets. Rojak has also been the solo bass trombonist in Les Misérables on Broadway, for numerous studio recordings, and has played with the big bands of Mel Lewis, Bob Mintzer, and Gerry Mulligan.
Rojak’s solo discography includes The Romantic Bass Trombone with Robert Koenig, piano (MMC Records); Rhapsody for Bass Trombone and Strings on Eric Ewazen’s Bass Hits (Albany); The Essential Rochut (Belle Records); and Walter Ross’s Trombone Concerto No. 2 (MMC).
Born in New York City, Rojak received his bachelor’s degree from Juilliard, where he studied with Don Harwood. His other teachers were John Coffey, David Taylor, and Sam Pilafian. Rojak was a fellowship student at the Waterloo and Tanglewood festivals. He has been a Juilliard faculty member since 1991.