Author: Karen Marston

2025 Guest Ensemble: ASU Trombone Choir

The ASU (Arizona State University) Trombone Choir was begun under the leadership of Douglas Yeo in 2013. The ensemble began presenting regular performances both at the university and in the local community. The group had recorded two professional CD’s.

Under the leadership of Brad Edwards, the ensemble was invited to perform at the 2017 International Trombone Festival (ITF) in Redlands, California and 2023 ITF in Salt Lake City, Utah. Other performances include appearances at the Musical Instrument Museum, the Tempe Center for the Arts, and a performance of the national anthem for the Arizona Diamondbacks.


In recent years, the group has begun to focus more in choosing repertoire that helps to showcase both female and BIPOC composers. Many of our performances feature student conductors and sometimes include student arrangements and compositions. The ensemble is open to all students at the university both graduate and undergraduate and is proud to include non-majors.

2025 Guest Artist: Dr. Bradley Edwards

Trombonist Brad Edwards has appeared as a soloist before audiences in the United States and Europe, including Germany, Norway, and Spain. He has twice played concerti with the Army Band at the American Trombone Workshop.  Audiophile magazine praised his CD, “Trombone And…” saying, “The performances are all excellent.”

Dr. Edwards teaches at Arizona State University and has previously taught at the University of South Carolina and University of Northern Iowa.  He is best known for his pedagogical books including, Lip Slurs, Lip Slur Melodies, The Intermediate books (Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba) as well as the Trombone Craft, Simply Singing for Winds and the Patterns and Snippets books.  His newest books are the Melodious books (Trombone, Bass Trombone, Tuba). These books have sold nearly 40,000 copies.

He has also composed 176 one-minute audition solos for all woodwinds and brass. These solos have been adopted for all-state auditions in South Carolina, North Carolina, Utah, and Minnesota. They can be found at AuditionSolos.com. He composed and recorded 24 Concert Pieces for trombone and piano. Videos of these pieces are available at the Hornbone Press channel on Youtube and at HornbonePress.com. Of his other compositions, Three Calls for unaccompanied trombone was chosen as a competition piece for both the American Trombone Workshop (ATW) and the International Trombone Festival (ITF). His piece Night Suite (from Circadian Suite) was selected for the ITF’s Emory Remington trombone choir competition.

Each month, he releases an free educational PDF, TBZ Monthly, which has melodies, lip slurs, technical/rhythm exercises, playing tips, and more. All this content can be found at his website, TromboneZone.org. He also posts a regular series of trombone tips on Instagram.

Dr. Edwards was a member of and soloist with the Air Force Band in Washington D.C. and has held positions as Principal Trombonist with a number of regional orchestras. Currently he is the Principal Trombonist with the South Carolina Philharmonic. He has performed with the Phoenix Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Baltimore Opera, National Symphony and Charlotte Symphony. In the summers he performs with the Summit Brass while teaching at the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute in Denver.

2025 Featured Guest Artist: Tony Baker

Our 2025 Featured Guest is the incredible TONY BAKER!  

Professor of Trombone at the University of North Texas for over 20 years, Tony is equally at home playing both Classical and Jazz, and has enjoyed an international career as a soloist for decades.

A versatile musician, Tony performs with the Dallas Opera Orchestra and has worked with ensembles such as the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, and numerous symphonies across the U.S.

An internationally acclaimed soloist, Tony has performed at prestigious events such as the International Trombone Festival, the Reykjavik Cultural Festival, and the Festival International D’Art Lyrique in France. He has also given masterclasses at institutions like the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

In addition to his classical work, Tony is an accomplished jazz trombonist, having performed with the Woody Herman Band, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, and artists like Wynton Marsalis and Steve Turre. He has also recorded with the Grammy-nominated Sounds of Blackness and served as a jazz clinician at various workshops, including those at the University of North Texas.

A dedicated educator and performer, Tony Baker continues to shape the future of trombone and jazz music.

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!