Renowned for his lyrical expressiveness and technical brilliance, Achilles Liarmakopoulos stands as one of the most compelling trombone soloists today. Following 13 years performing worldwide with the Canadian Brass, he has been a member of the Athens State orchestra in Athens, Greece, member of Triple Cortado and performs often with Pink Martini.
He has toured extensively throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia, performing and educating in the world’s most important venues and institutions.
Achilles holds degrees from the Yale University School of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, San Francisco Conservatory and the Philippos Nakas Conservatory in his hometown of Athens, Greece. Upon completion of his studies, he won the position of principal trombone of the Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra. Achilles has also performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic, Bern Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony among many others.
As a recitalist, Achilles has performed in China, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Greece, USA and Canada, having been awarded honors at competitions around the globe. At the age of 18, he gave two solo performances at Walt Disney Hall as the Grand Prize Winner of the Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition judged by members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has gone on to win prizes at the Christian Lindberg International Competition, the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe (YMFE) and the International Trombone Festival’s Robert Marsteller/Conn-Selmer and Larry Wiehe solo competitions, to name a few. Achilles was also awarded the Alexandros S. Onassis Foundation and Greek State Scholarship Foundation educational scholarships.
His discography includes six solo albums: Volar with the Venezuelan group Cuatrombon, exploring Venezuelan music; Obvious with French harpist Coline-Marie Orliac; Ethereal, featuring 20th- and 21st-century lyrical works from around the world; Trombone Atrevido, dedicated to Brazilian Choro music; Discoveries, showcasing contemporary compositions; and Tango Distinto, presenting the music of Astor Piazzolla on the NAXOS label. In addition, he has released a dozen solo singles, recorded extensively with the Canadian Brass, and contributed to numerous classical, pop, Latin, and crossover albums.
In 2013 salsa icon Ruben Blades invited him to perform at his concerts at Lincoln Center and Madison Square Garden.
More than 25 works have been written and dedicated to him by composers from around the world.