Willie Alvarez - Trombone
William Alvarez was born on July 24th 1966, in Elmhurst New York. He began playing the trombone at the age of 11. William's first professional club date was at the age of 17 with the Tito Allen Orchestra. He began his studies at Erasmus Hall High School and continued on to Long Island University, where he studied with Slide Hampton, Benny Powell, Reynaldo Jorge, Lewis Kahn and Leopoldo Pineda. There he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Contemporary Jazz Studies and was a two-time recipient of the Tito Puente Scholarship. In 1996, William earned his Masters Degree from Long Island University in Education.
Since then, William has performed with such musical greats as: Adalberto Santiago, Rafael de Jesus, Hector Lavoe, Larry Harlow, Ismael Miranda, Ray Barretto, Pete "El Conde " Rodriguez, Celia Cruz, Batacumbele, Tito Nieves, India, Frankie Ruiz, The Latin Legends of Fania, Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz, Dominic, Herman Olivera, Michael Stuart, Domingo Quinones, Willie Colon and Eddie Palmieri. William was recently a member of the musical production "Quien Mato Hector Lavoe" and the film, "Hector Lavoe - A Love Story."
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