A native of McKinney, Texas, Devin Drinan joined the North Carolina Symphony as Principal Trombone at the start of the 2025/26 season. As an orchestral musician, he has performed with numerous ensembles including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Boston Pops Brass Quintet, Symphony New Hampshire, and the New World Symphony.
Drinan has spent his summers as a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center (2024 and 2025) and has worked with acclaimed conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Gustavo Dudamel, Alan Gilbert, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Daniel Harding, and Sir Andrew Davis. In May 2025, he had the opportunity to travel to Leipzig, Germany, to perform as a member of the Festivalorchester in the 2025 Shostakovich Festival alongside the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Gewandhaus Orchestra.
As a soloist, Drinan was most recently named the winner of the International Trombone Association’s Gilberto Gagliardi Tenor Trombone Competition, the American Trombone Workshop’s National Trombone Quartet Competition, and the Big 12 Tenor Trombone Solo Competition, as well as the Southeast Trombone Symposium’s Youth Solo Competition.
Drinan began playing the trombone at the age of 11 and quickly fell in love with the idea of playing in an orchestra for a living. After high school, he went on to study at the New England Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Toby Oft, Principal Trombone of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Outside of music, Drinan enjoys playing pickleball, eating good food, and spending time with friends and family.
