Introduction
As the world’s leading organization dedicated to the trombone, the International Trombone Association (ITA) connects trombonists around the globe, fosters community among musicians, and supports exploration and excellence in trombone education, performance, and research.
Formation and Early Years
The story of the ITA begins with Thomas G. Everett, who studied baritone horn, trombone, and music education at Ithaca College in New York from 1962 to 1966. Everett took lessons with Ithaca’s trombone professor, Hubert Hutchinson, and also sought out additional instruction from Roger Smith (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and The Juilliard School), Allen E. Ostrander (New York Philharmonic), and Donald Knaub (Eastman School of Music). During his first year at Ithaca, Everett switched his instrumental emphasis from baritone horn to tenor trombone, and during his third year, switched to bass trombone.
While working as a high school band director in Batavia, New York (1967–1971), Everett began corresponding with Thomas Streeter, bass trombonist with the United States Air Force Jazz Band “Airmen of Note” and, later, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University. Both were concerned by the lack of original music for bass trombone, and they began commissioning new works. As their conversations progressed, the idea of forming an organization for bass trombonists took shape. Encouragement from John Marcellus (then of the National Symphony Orchestra and later professor at Eastman) helped convince Everett to broaden the concept into an association for all trombonists.
Meanwhile, in 1970, Henry Romersa, trombone professor at George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, Tennessee (now part of Vanderbilt University), began planning a National Trombone Workshop. The first was held May 31–June 4, 1971, with Emory Remington (Eastman School of Music) as guest of honor.
As plans were underway for a second Workshop, Romersa and Everett met, and Everett proposed holding a session during the Workshop to explore establishing an organization for trombonists.
The Founding of the ITA
At 5:15 PM on June 1, 1972, during the Second National Trombone Workshop, Everett—who had recently started his new position as Director of Bands at Harvard University—convened a meeting to propose forming the International Trombone Association. When he asked who might be interested in joining, most in the room raised their hands.
William Cramer, trombone professor at Florida State University, nominated Everett to serve as the Association’s first president. The motion passed by acclamation, and the meeting was adjourned.
The next day, Everett invited the Workshop’s faculty members to serve as the ITA’s first Board of Directors, and officers were soon named:
Officers:
President: Thomas G. Everett
Vice President: Henry Romersa
Treasurer: Thomas Streeter
Secretary: Larry Weed
Board of Directors:
Buddy Baker, Glenn Bridges, Leon F. Brown, William F. Cramer, Thomas G. Everett, Neill H. Humfeld, Ernest E. Lyon, John H. Marcellus, Tommy Pederson, Bernard Pressler, George Roberts, Henry Romersa, Lewis Van Haney, Bill Watrous, Larry Weed, Larry Wiehe, and Phil Wilson.
Over the following months, steps were taken to formalize the organization. On behalf of the ITA, Romersa chartered the Association in Tennessee on September 28, 1972. The charter was accepted by Tennessee’s Secretary of State on January 23, 1973. The ITA soon obtained 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Its first logo featured a stylized drawing of a buccin—a dragon-bell trombone built in the early 19th century by Jean-Baptiste Tabard of Paris. The instrument is part of the collection at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
The ITA’s founding purpose, still reflected in its current bylaws (most recently updated June 3, 2023), is:
To promote communication among trombonists around the world, to improve the artistic level of performance, teaching, scholarship, and literature associated with the trombone family, and to function as a clearinghouse for trombone-related ideas and information.
In 2008, the ITA updated its governance structure to include a policy and decision making Executive Board, and an Executive Director. In 2004, Denis Wick (London Symphony Orchestra) became the ITA’s first president from outside the United States. In 2023, Carol Jarvis, also from England, was elected president—the first woman to hold the position.
The ITA Journal and Newsletter
From the beginning, ITA founders envisioned an annual journal as a key resource for members. Larry Weed edited the first issue of what was called the International Trombone Association Journal, published in January 1973, and a second issue followed in January 1974. The ITA Newsletter debuted alongside the Journal in August 1973 and ran through 1981, with one to four issues per year.
In January 1983, the Journal and Newsletter merged into a single publication, the ITA Journal, which has been published quarterly ever since. Editors have included:
- Larry Weed (1972–1981)
- Vern Kagarice (1982–2005)
- Claire Brantley (2005–2010)
- Diane Drexler (2010–2022)
- Amy Maclean (2022–present)
Originally produced in black and white, the Journal introduced color covers in April 1987 and transitioned to full-color pages in April 2020. Its content includes scholarly articles, pedagogy, interviews, and reviews, and it has become an essential publication for trombone performers, teachers, and researchers.
Awards and Recognition
Recognition of excellence began at the Association’s founding. On June 2, 1972, President Everett presented Henry Romersa with the first ITA Award, which “recognizes an elite level of creative and artistic output in areas such as trombone performance, composition, arranging, teaching, conducting, research, and/or service.” Since then, the ITA Award has been given to one individual each year.
Fittingly, Everett himself received the ITA Award in 1980, in recognition of his pivotal role in founding the Association, his work commissioning new music for bass trombone, and his publication, Annotated Guide to Bass Trombone Literature(1973, 1978, 1985).
Other major awards followed:
Kenneth Hanlon Award, for generous service to the trombone community (est. 2019)
Neill Humfeld Award for Excellence in Trombone Teaching (est. 1992)
Orchestra Recognition Award (est. 1993)
ITA Legacy Circle & Lifetime Achievement Awards (est. 2007)
Growth and Global Presence
By 1973, the ITA had appointed official representatives in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czechoslovakia, England, Germany, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States. Since then, many ITA regional chapters and affiliate societies were established, with some publishing their own journals.
From 1973 to 1986, Boston Sackbut Week—organized by Everett and Phil Wilson (Berklee College of Music)—presented a model for local gatherings of trombonists. Today, many of these types of events occur during International Trombone Week. Established by the ITA in 2003, the inaugural International Trombone Week featured over 70 events worldwide.
Following the Third National Trombone Workshop (1973), the event was renamed the International Trombone Workshop (ITW), recognizing the ITA’s growing global membership. In 1999, the Workshop was rebranded as the International Trombone Festival (ITF). These yearly Festivals gatherings feature concerts in a host of musical genres, masterclasses, lectures, panel discussions, solo, ensemble, and trombone choir competitions, and a large marketplace of exhibitors of trombone accessories, music, services, and instruments.
Initially held at George Peabody College through 1978, the ITF moved to Belmont College (now Belmont University) in Nashville from 1979–1988, with one exception: in 1984, the ITA partnered with the Second International Brass Congress at Indiana University.
Since 1989, the ITF has been hosted by universities and conservatories across the United States and abroad—including England, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Spain, France, and Canada. Each ITF—with its diverse, global faculty of performers, teachers, and scholars—draws participants from all over the world.
As technology advanced, the ITA adapted. A website, social media presence, and online resources were developed to further connect members worldwide. The ITA Journal became available in digital format, and in 2021, the ITA Newsletterwas relaunched as a regular email publication.
In 2016, the ITA Archives was established at Columbus State University (Georgia). With over 300 boxes of material, it preserves the Association’s extensive historical record.
The ITA Today
Through its ongoing activities, the International Trombone Association remains committed to its founding mission of promoting, supporting, and inspiring the trombone community through education, performance, and research. With members in 54 countries, the ITA serves musicians of all ages and backgrounds, helping them connect, learn, and grow. In all of its initiatives and activities, the ITA fosters an inclusive environment that removes barriers, values diversity, and creates pathways to ensure that all trombonists have opportunities to thrive in the field. As the ITA expands its outreach, enhances digital offerings, and builds opportunities for participation at every level, it continues to shape the global trombone landscape as it actively builds its future.
by Douglas Yeo
This history of the ITA was informed by examining all ITA Journal and Newsletter issues (1973–present), conversations with Thomas G. Everett and other past and present ITA officers, and two doctoral dissertations:
Steven Dale Sudduth, “A History of the International Trombone Association: The Advancement of Performance, Teaching, and Literature 1972–1997.” DMA diss., University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1998.
Christopher J. Gassler, “The Contributions of Thomas G. Everett to Bass Trombone Repertoire, Literature, and Research.” DMA diss., University of North Texas, 2002.