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The United States Navy Band has an immediate opening for the position of jazz trombone instrumentalist in the Commodores jazz ensemble.  Starting salary is $61,557-$67,461, plus benefits. Auditions will be held by appointment. The position will be open until filled. Please contact navyband.auditions@navy.mil or 202-433-2840 for more information.

The Fifteenth Annual Big 12 Area Trombone Conference was held January 12th – 14th at Texas Tech University. The Conference’s Featured Guest Artist was Charles Vernon, Bass Trombonist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Vernon’s guest artist recital and master class were both inspiring. His playing was resonant, sensitive and virtuosic. Works or Sachse, Gillingham, Spillman and Steven Frank rounded out this fabulous program. The master class was a intriguing discussion on the elements of great trombone playing, followed up by many interesting questions from attendees.

In addition, Mr. Vernon performed the world premiere of Benjamin Horne’s
‘Gladiator’ with the Texas Tech Trombone Choir on the opening night performance. Mr. Horne’s composition, a technically demanding work performed brilliantly by Mr. Vernon, was the winning composition of the recent TTU Trombone Ensemble Composition Contest.

Additional highlights included the Yamaha/Xeno Tenor Trombone Solo Competition, the Bach Bass Trombone Solo Competition, an exciting faculty showcase recital, great choir performances and many inspiring clinics and presentations.

The Solo Competitions finals featured fine student musicians from all over the world, including Yale University, the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, The University of Texas – Austin, and Texas Christian University. After prolonged deliberations from our adjudication panel, the winners were: Bach Bass Trombone Solo Competition: Zachary Haas, Yale University; Yamaha/Xeno Tenor Trombone Solo Competition: Timothy Maines, University of Texas-Austin. Congratulations to all finalists and their professors.

Featured performers and clinicians included Dr. Jeffrey Cottrell of Hardin Simmons University, Dr. Michael Davidson of the University of Kansas, Timothy Burt of Lubbock, Dr. Bruce Faske of Arkansas State University, Dr. William Haugeberg of the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, Dr. Jason Hausback of Missouri State University, Dr. Timothy Howe of the University of Missouri, Dr. Li Kuang of Southwestern University, Dr. Jeremy Marks of the University of Louisiana-Monroe, Dr. Pedro Martinez of the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, Adam Johnson of Louisiana Tech University, Anthony Triplett of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. J. Mark Thompson of Northwestern State University, Dr. Alex Van Duuren of the University of Tennessee and Dr. Nat Wickham of the University of Northern Colorado. Attendees were enthused by the performances and presentations by these well renowned educators.

Great choir performances took place during the conference. Congratulations to the University of Louisiana-Monroe Trombone Choir, led by Dr. Jeremy Marks, The Walsh Middle School Trombone Choir, led by Joshua Stover, the UT-Rio Grande Valley Trombone Choir, directed by Dr. Pedro Martinez, the Missouri State University Trombone Octet, led by Dr. Jason Hausback, and the University of Tennessee Trombone Choir, under the direction of Dr. Alex Van Duuren, for their exciting performances.

Other great ensembles performed at the conference as well. Audiences were treated to the fine performances of the Drei Bones Trombone Trio, the Bulldog Trombone Quartet from Texas Lutheran University, the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Trombone Quartet and the University of Northern Colorado Graduate Trombone Quartet.

Overall, the conference was a stirring assembly of fine students, performers and educators. Many thanks to all who attended, presented and performed so well, and our principal sponsors: Yamaha International Corporation, Conn-Selmer Corporation the Music of Ken Friedrich, Houghton Horns, Tarpley Music Company, and Iota Tau Alpha, the Trombone Service Fraternity of Texas Tech University.

Next year’s conference is scheduled for January 18th – 20th, 2019. More details will be forthcoming. Please visit the website  for updates.

The International Trombone Festival invites university professors to advertise for their school and studios in the ITF Program Booklet at this year’s  Trombone Festival at the University of Iowa.  The Festival hosts between 700-1000 trombonists each year and is a great place to advertise your studio! Price options include 1/6 of a page up to a full page color ad.  For any questions, please contact J. Cook at jcook@uca.edu.

Download the application form

Introduction and Choral Variations on “Now Thank We All Our God” by F.A. Belcke

 

Friedrich August Belcke (1795-1874) was the first luminary in the Leipzig Gewandhaus school of trombone playing, and an in-demand trombone soloist even beyond Germany’s borders. In 1859 he composed and performed the above-named piece for the dedication of a new organ at his home church in Lucka, approximately 20 miles south of Leipzig. It is scored for solo trombone, organ, men’s voices and trombone choir.

 

The piece was then forgotten and lost until just a few years ago when Rolf Handrow, retired Gewandhaus trombonist, discovered it and had it published, also graciously sharing it with his friend Carl Lenthe, Professor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana.

 

A performance was planned in Lucka for 2017, but personnel circumstances led to a postponement. As such, the first performance since its rediscovery fell to Lenthe, with Handrow’s blessings. This took place as a postlude to an evening service of hymns on Sunday, January 14, 2018 at Faith Lutheran Church in Bloomington. Carl was joined by organist and Cantor Priscilla Gabriel, the men of the Faith Lutheran’s choir singing in the original German, and a trombone ensemble comprised of congregation members augmented by trombonists from the Jacobs School of Music. A video recording of the performance is available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/t_b7Rwy2NGE.

 

Professor Handrow, a tireless researcher, has written about Belcke and other stars of the Leipzig school in his 2014 book, “Beruhmte Posaunen-Virtuosen: Friedrich August Belcke, Carl Traugott Queisser, Albert Robert Muller, Joseph Serafin Alschausky – Posaunisten des Gewandhausorchesters Leipzig”. [Famou Trombone Virtuosos: Friedrich August Belcke, Carl Traugott Queisser, Albert Robert Muller, Joseph Serafin Alschausky – Trombonists of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra].

 

The book was reviewed by Dr. Linda Pearse in the ITA Journal, Vol. 43 No. 3, July 2015, pp. 49-50, and begs for translation into English, not only to make this important and fascinating trombone history available to a wider audience, but also in the hope that potential English language readers may be able to fill in some gaps in Alschausky’s biography. Serafin Alschausky (1879-1948) left Leipzig in 1923 and emigrated to the U.S., played for one year with the Cincinnati Symphony and then moved to Los Angeles, where he worked and taught – largely “under radar.”

 

Both the book and the “Introduction and Choral Variations” are published by Crescendo-Brass GbR, Germany (www.crescendo-brass.de).

The Trombone Teaching Assistantship at Michigan State University has just opened up for next year, 2018-19! If interested, please contact Professor Ava Ordman immediately for information: ordman@msu.edu. The TA is open to DMA and MM students on either tenor or bass trombone and includes tuition, health insurance and a stipend. It’s not too late to apply. Go to music.msu.edu to apply and set an audition time. Audition dates can be made flexible in an effort to accommodate candidates.

Brittany Lasch has won second in  the American Prize in Instrumental Performance, 2017-18, in professional, college/university and high school divisions.

Lasch was selected from applications reviewed this past fall from all across the United States. The American Prize is a series of new, non-profit, competitions unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States based on submitted recordings. The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts.

Trombonist Brittany Lasch is a winner of Astral Artist’s 2017 National Auditions and has been recently appointed as the new Instructor of Trombone at Bowling Green State University. A graduate of Manhattan School of Music, trombonist Brittany has performed as a soloist with ensembles such as the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and the Queens Symphony.Brittany spent two summers in the Verbier Festival Orchestra and has performed with orchestras such as the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the New World Symphony. A native of Park Ridge, Illinois, Brittany earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University and her MM from Yale School of Music. Her principal teachers include Toby Oft, Scott Hartman, and Steve Norrell. Brittany is an Edwards Trombone Performing Artist. www.brittanylasch.com

For more information about the other winners, click here.

Photography: Ryan Brandenburg

The University of Arizona (UA) Trombone Studio is offering competitive scholarships and assistantships to any and all qualified students! If you’re interested and/or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Moises Paiewonsky.

Assistantships are 2-3 year awards and include a full tuition waiver, $6,000 annual stipend, and benefits. Open to MM and DMA Tenor and Bass Trombone applicants. Duties vary depending on applicant (will be individually tailored to suit strengths) and may include anything from assisting with all UA Trombone Studio related activities (e.g., lessons, studio classes, trombone ensembles, sectionals, etc.) to playing in a graduate brass quintet and/or anything in between.

Click here for more information!

A Graduate Teaching Assistant position is available for the Trombone Studio at Valdosta State University. Assistantship is a two year award and includes a full tuition waiver and $8,000/academic year stipend. GA is for a tenor or bass trombone student seeking a master’s degree in trombone performance (MMP). Bass Trombone preferred but not required.

Duties include: Teaching lessons to music majors, minors and other non-trombone major students; managing the trombone studios library; assisting with the Valdosta State Trombone Choir; playing in ensembles as needed; work with the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra.

Contact Dr. Doug Farwell for more information about auditions.

 

The University of Delaware has opportunities for Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Assistantships, and Tuition Scholars for the 2018-19 academic year.  Teaching Assistantships include instructional duties ranging from 10-20 hours per week and include a 90-100% tuition waiver and a stipend of $9500-$19000.  Graduate Assistantships include duties such as studio assistance, music library, stage crew, or other roles as needed by the department for 5-10 hours per week.  These include a 70-90% tuition waiver and a stipend range of $4750-$9500.  Tuition Scholars receive a generous scholarship of 50-100% tuition waiver and have no required duties or stipend.  All graduate trombone students will also have the opportunity to conduct the Trombone Choir.

The University of Delaware is located in Newark, DE; just 1 hour from Philadelphia and Baltimore, and just over 2 hours to Washington DC and New York on the I-95 corridor.

For more information, please contact Dr. Bruce Tychinski.

Graduate Assistantship — Masters Degree in Trombone Performance 2018-2020

Interested students should apply and audition by February 25th, 2018 to be considered.

Responsibilities:
The student selected for this position performs with the Graduate Brass Quintet, assists with the trombone studio, and performs other duties as needed. The GBQ performs each semester in University commencement ceremonies and presents concerts on and off campus as assigned. Other duties include private teaching, administration of the trombone studio, and other assignments fitting the qualifications of the winning candidate.

Assistantship information:
Current first-year, nine-month contracts provide stipends from $5,000 to $9,085. In addition, students receive a partial to full tuition scholarship (instructional fees and non-resident fees) up to $17,704, for a total package up to $26,789 per year. Appointment: August 14, 2018.

 

Qualifications:
Prerequisites include superior performance ability and successful teaching in studio and/or school settings. This is a 3/8 position, requiring 13-15 hours of work per week. Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree in music, 3.0 GPA and unconditional admission to the Graduate College. In most areas candidates must present a campus interview to be considered for an assistantship.

Follow instructions and apply to BGSU here.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Brittany Lasch.