Biography
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Dr. Steve Wolfinbarger is a Professor of Music at Western Michigan University, where he teaches trombone and and is Chair of the School of Music’s Brass and Percussion Area. He earned the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in trombone performance from the University of North Texas.
Professor Wolfinbarger is the 2009 recipient of the International Trombone Association's prestigious ITA Award "in recognition of his distinguished career and in acknowledgement of his impact on the world of trombone performance," the highest prize awarded by the International Trombone Association each year. Professor Wolfinbarger was President of the International Trombone Association from 1994-1996, and he served as the Director of the International Trombone Festival and Chair of the International Trombone Festival Site Selection Committee from 1992 to 2001. Professor Wolfinbarger also hosted and organized the 1990 International Trombone Workshop which was held at Western Michigan University. He is currently the chair of the ITA Governance Committee, and he has published articles in the International Trombone Association Journal. He served on a steering committee with six other leading trombone teachers to develop a national trombone pedagogy manual for public school music teachers in an effort to increase the quality and quantity of trombone students in the United States. He was also the subject of a feature article in Director Magazine.
Professor Wolfinbarger has appeared as a guest soloist or clinician at numerous regional, national and international conferences, including the Midwest Trombone Workshop, National Fine Arts Festival, Midwestern Music Conference, the Arizona Low Brass Symposium, several Brazilian National Trombone Symposiums, and the Latin America Trombone Symposium. He has been featured as a guest performer or clinician at major music conservatories in The Netherlands, Finland, Mexico, and in the United States at the Chautauqua Institute, The Eastman School of Music, and at more than 25 colleges and universities. As a member of the Western Brass Quintet, he has performed in Canada, Germany, Russia, and The Peoples Republic of China. He has also performed as an extra with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and with the Springfield (Missouri) and Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestras.
Professor Wolfinbarger was recently named the recipient of the Western Michigan University College of Fine Arts Dean's Teaching Award for 2009. Students in his studio have competed
successfully and have won a number of important competitions. Since 2001 seven students have been selected as finalists in the various International Trombone Association competitions, and they have been selected as winners in their respective competitions two of the past three years. In addition, they have been invited to compete as semifinalists or finalists at the Eastern Trombone Workshop’s National Solo Competition each of the past five years, with winners named each of the last two years. Yet another student was selected as a winner in the 2008 Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition. His students have been selected as finalists in the Minnesota Orchestra's Steve Zellmer Orchestral Excerpt Competition and a solo competition sponsored by the Music Club of Detroit. Since 2000, graduates of his studio have been admitted to some of the most competitive music programs in the United States, including The Juilliard School, The Eastman School of Music, Cleveland Institute, Cincinnati Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, University of North Texas, Florida State University, and Indiana University, to name a few.