About

2024 High School Trombone Quartet Competition

High school students are invited to compete in the SoCal Trombone Day High School Trombone Quartet Competition.  

The winning group will receive a check for $200 (as a donation to their high school band program), and have the opportunity to perform during the Trombone Day Finale Concert, featuring Bones West and guest.  All participating groups are invited to perform as a mass ensemble on the Trombone Day finale concert.

Rules:

  • In order to compete, ensembles must be a complete trombone quartet (4 trombonists, any combination of bass/tenor), comprised of high school students (college students are not eligible).  Trombone Day does not organize quartets to compete – groups are pre-organized by students, and/or sponsoring band directors or private teachers.  A group may be comprised of students from different schools.
  • All quartets must prepare two pieces:
  • All quartets will perform the required repertoire together, as a trombone choir, during the Trombone Day Finale Concert.  The winning group will perform their choice competition piece.
  • All quartets will receive comments from the judges.
  • Competitors receive a discount on Trombone Day fees.
  • Trombone Day may limit the number of competitors, based on scheduling requirements.
  • To register for Trombone Day and the Competition, email Len Wicks, at len.wicks@yahoo.com.

See you at Trombone Day!

2022 Featured Ensemble: Empress Trombone Quartet

SoCal Trombone Day is excited to announce a featured concert for 2002: Empress Trombone Quartet!

The Empress Trombone Quartet performs multi-style concerts for diverse audiences. With repertoire ranging from Medieval plainchant to swashbuckling movie scores, Empress concerts have something for every kind of music-lover, and as a female-centered trombone quartet, Empress is about breaking ground, and smashing stereotypes. Founded by Karen Marston in 2019, the Empress Trombone Quartet calls on the diverse musical backgrounds of its players, which range from orchestral and chamber music, to commercial and studio playing, to push the boundaries of chamber music.

Empress is also committed to new music, and has commissioned two brand new works for trombone quartet: The Lady of the Lake, by LA composer Stephen Mahpar, and Lotus Flowers, by Fátima Abramo Acuña, trombonist of the Orquesta Sinfónica del Congreso Nacional del Paraguay, which will be premiered in 2022.

Empress Trombone Quartet is:

Amy Bowers

Shelly Suminski
Lori Stuntz
Karen Marston

What will the Empress Trombone Quartet do at SoCal Trombone Day?

Empress will perform a recital program and serve as judges for the High School Trombone Quartet competition.

See you on April 23!

 

Schedule

SoCal Trombone Day, February 1, 2020

GROUPS: Please follow the path for your group, as listed below
High School 1: All freshmen, sophomore, and middle school students
High School 2: All juniors and seniors
Adult/College

7:30am Registration opens (Box Office)
8:45am Trombone Check opens (M119, in courtyard)
10:30am: Exhibits open (M109)

Time High School 1 High School 2 Adult/College
8:00am Group Warm up with Amy Bowers (M200) Group warm up with Sean Reusch (M108)
9:00am Opening Concert, featuring the SoCal Intercollegiate Trombone Choir, Karen Marston and Michael Hoffman, Directors (Feddersen)
10:00am Trombone Choir Reading session with Sean Reusch (M108) Exhibits (M109) Trombone Choir Reading session with Bob Sanders (Feddersen)
11:00am Exhibits (M109) Faculty Master Class with Sean Reusch (M108) Artist Master Class with Alan Kaplan (M200)
Noon LUNCH
1:00pm High School Quartet Competition (Feddersen) or Exhibits (M109)
2:00pm Artist Master Class with Peter Steiner (Feddersen) or Exhibits (M109)
3:00pm Faculty Master Class with Sean Reusch (M108) Trombone Choir Reading session with Karen Marston (M200) Exhibits (M109)
4:00pm Artist Recital: Peter Steiner and Constanze Hochwartner (Feddersen)
5:00pm Quartet Winners Announcement and performance
Finale Concert: Bones West with Alan Kaplan, Guest Artist
Door Prizes (Feddersen)

 

2020 Guest Artist: Peter Steiner

SoCal Trombone Day is excited to announce our 2020 Guest Artist:

Peter Steiner 

with Constanze Hochwartner, Piano

Italian trombonist Peter Steiner’s playing has been described as “beautifully controlled with a vocal sound” and he is recognized around the world as “a new trombone star within his generation”, “playing with total control”. In 2019 he was awarded Prize Winner of the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia.

At the age of 23, Peter Steiner was appointed Trombonist of the Vienna State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic for the 2016-2017 season. Prior to that engagement he served as Principal Trombonist with the Colorado Symphony for the 2014-2015 season. He has performed as guest trombonist with the Munich Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, New York Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

His 2018-2019 season involves extensive international travel and features over 100 performances, including a 3-month World Tour of the United States, Europe, Asia and South America with Constanze Hochwartner (piano/organ) as Duo Steiner-Hochwartner, as well as solo concerts with orchestras around the globe. Other highlights for this season include a CD release tour throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States in July 2019, and solo appearances at the Lille (France) Trombone Festival and International Trombone Festival (Indiana, USA).

See you Feb., 1, 2020!

Special Guest: Dick Nash

We are honored to welcome the great Dick Nash as a special guest for Trombone Day 2019!  

Amassing a whopping 3200 television and movie score credits in his long career, LA trombone great Dick Nash worked with all of the Hollywood heavy-hitters, including Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, and John Williams, and can be heard on many iconic recordings, such as Peter Gunn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Days of Wine and Roses, Sabrina, and Planet of the Apes, to name a few.  Dick will be joining Bones West and Marshall Gilkes on the finale concert at Trombone Day!  Don’t miss this incredibly special opportunity to hear a legend of the LA Studio Scene!

2024 Registration

Interested in being a part of SoCal Trombone Day? 

Online registration is open: Mt Sac Box Office. 

Regular Registration (all-day attendance): $30.00
Regular Registration (afternoon concerts only): $15.00
Students, Seniors, Military, Children under 12: $20.00

Student competitors receive a special rate.
Please email Len Wicks at lenwicks@gmail.com for more information.

ALL ATTENDEES RECEIVE 4 DOOR PRIZE TICKETS FOR THE EVENING DRAWING!

See you on Jan 20!