Robert Marsteller Tenor Trombone Competition

sponsored by TBA

For trombonists ages 22 and under (birth date of January 1, 2002 or later)

First Prize – TBA

General Requirements

Recording Guidelines

  • Applicants must strictly follow the Recording Guidelines for the 2025 ITA Solo and Ensemble Competitions to avoid disqualification.

Competition Rules

  • Live piano accompaniment is required.
  • The required repertoire should be recorded as one complete, unedited take, and submitted as a single video file, recorded from a single, uninterrupted camera angle. Accepted file formats include: MP4, MPEG, MPG, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V, FLV, WEBM, M2V
  • No editing of either video or audio is allowed.
  • No written signs, name tags or other written material is to be visible in the video.
  • Both performers should be clearly visible in the video throughout the performance, with the trombonist as the focal point. In the event both performers do fit in the frame, due to social distancing or use of pre-recorded piano accompaniment, the trombonist must still be completely visible throughout the performance.
  • The submitted file must not contain any identifying information. The video file should be named: “MarstellerEntry.mov” (.mp4, etc.)
  • Past winners of the Robert Marsteller Tenor Trombone Competition are not eligible to enter the 2025 Marsteller competition.

Repertoire Requirements

Preliminary Round:
Eugen Reiche – Concerto No. 2 in A Major, movements 1 and 2 (Zimmerman)

Final Round:
Henri Dutilleux – Chorale, Cadence, et Fugato (Leduc) 

Past Winners

Year Winner School
1986 Brian Foote Florida State University
1987 John Dilutis Curtis Institute of Music
1988 Scott Bergeson Brigham Young University
1989 Douglas Wright New England Conservatory
1990 Chris Nigrelli Western Michigan University
1991 Jon Etterbeek Juilliard School of Music
1992 Alexander Fedianin Kazakhstan
1993 Barry Hearn University of Texas at Arlington
1994 Katie Kretschman University of Wisconsin
1995 Steve Wills University of Missouri
1996 Jed Hudson University of North Texas
1997 Nathan Zgonc Indiana University
1998 Chelsea French DePaul University
1999 Robert Lugosi Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, Hungary
2000 Michael Lormand University of Southern Mississippi
2001 James Williams Juilliard School of Music
2002 Jonathan Lombardo Juilliard School of Music
2003 David Applegate University of North Texas
2004 Matthew Allison San Francisco Conservatory of Music
2005 Tim Higgins Northwestern University
2006 Matthew Knight Cambridge University
2007 Achilleas Liarmakopoulos Curtis Institute of Music
2008 Joshua Bledsoe Arizona State University
2009 Keith Dyrda McGill University, Canada
2010 Malcolm Williamson Eastman School of Music
2011 Timothy Hilgert Valdosta State University
2012 Csaba Bencze University of Pécs, Hungary
2013 John Romero Baylor University
2014 Alexander Walden Curtis Institute of Music
2015 Daniel Tellez Gutierrez Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock
2016 Brian Wendel The Juilliard School
2017 Tolga Akman Hochschule für Musik, Theater, und Medien, Hannover
2018 Robyn Smith New England Conservatory
2019 Pavlo Titiaiev Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover
2020 Co-Winner Jonathan Salcedo Vanderbilt University
2020 Co-Winner Polina Tarasenko Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover
2020 Co-Winner Joao Teixeira Zurcher Hochschule der Kunste
2021 Phillip Williams Cleveland Institute of Music
2022 Niels Jacobs Hochschule der Künste Bern
2023 Gracie Potter The Colburn School
2024 Beanie Hyunbin Lee Los Angeles Brass Academy/JeonJu Art High School