Congratulations to WMU trombone graduate student Anibal Hernandez for being selected as one of a handful of performers for the 2013 Northwestern University Summer Trombone Workshop. Anibal's selection came a result of his pre-recorded audition of orchestral repertoire and a prepared solo. At the event he will have the opportunity to perform for Chicago Symphony Orchestra trombonist Michael Mulcahy. He will also be training for orchestral auditions, and he will participate in master classes focusing on the interpretation of solo literature and chamber music.
Sophomore bass trombonist Evan Clifton has been informed by Cleveland Orchestra trombonist Shachar Israel that he has been admitted to the Cleveland Trombone Seminar this summer as a participant and also awarded a scholarship. His admission to the Seminar is a result of pre-recorded audition consisting of orchestral excerpts and one solo work. At the Seminar he will have the opportunity to work with Shachar Israel, Boston Symphony Orchestra principal trombonist Toby Oft, Haim Avitsur, and others.
Congratulations to "post graduate" student Nate Musch for being named a finalist in the International Trombone Association's ITA Alto Trombone Competition. Nate will compete in the finals in Columbus, Georgia against students from The Colburn School and the Janacek Academy of Music and Performance Arts Brno.
Sophomore performance major Luke Marlowe has been named an Honorable Mention selection in the International Trombone Association's Larry Wiehe Solo Competition.
2012
Master's student and April 2012 graduate Caitlin Miekstyn has been hired to teach at Glen Oaks Community College in Centreville, MI.
Congratulations to graduating senior Eric Bowman for winning the International Trombone Association's Frank Smith Solo Competition today held in Paris, France. In addition to Eric, the competition, for students age 25 and under, featured graduate students from the Eastman School of Music and the University of New Mexico respectively. It featured a distinguished panel of European judges, including the composer of the required work Roger Boutry. Eric will now take home a new Schilke trombone as his prize.
Congratulations to graduating master's student Nate Musch for winning the trombone teaching position at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI.
Congrats to Nate Musch for being accepted into the Northwestern University Summer Trombone Master Classes, taught by Michael Mulcahy. Nate's acceptance was based on his taped audition of five orchestral excerpts, as well as his recording of the Martin Ballade. Great work!
Eric Bowman has received a full tuition waiver to attend the University of Miami, Florida, where he will major in jazz studies for his master's degree.
Senior trombonist Alyssa Madeira has won a graduate music assistantship at the University of Massachusetts, and she will be starting her graduate degree there this fall. Congratulations on all your success!
Congratulations to Eric Bowman for being selected as a finalist in his 2nd International Trombone Association competition for 2012, the J. J. Johnson Jazz Competition.
Senior trombone performance major Eric Bowman has been notifed that he's a finalist in the International Trombone Association's Frank Smith Solo Competition for students 25 and under. Eric will now be traveling to Paris, France along with Kirsten Schaffert and Evan Clifton to compete in July. Awesome work, Eric!
WMU graduate student Erik Dancy has won the 2nd alternate (5th place) recognition in the International Trombone Association's Larry Wiehe Solo Competition. Outstanding work, Erik!
For the 2nd year in a row, WMU graduate student Nate Musch has been selected as an honorable mention selection in the International Trombone Association's Lewis Van Haney Philharmonic Prize Competition. Congrats on your continued success, Nate!
A. J. Muusse has been recognized as the honorable mention selection in the International Trombone Association's George Roberts Bass Trombone Solo Competition. AJ is a high school student of both Dr. Wolfinbarger and Grand Rapids Symphony trombonist Dan Mattson, and he is a member of the WMU Trombone Choir. Well deserved!!
Senior tenor trombonist Kirsten Schaffert has been named a finalist in the International Trombone Association's Larry Wiehe Solo Competition. She'll complete against two other students in the finals in Paris, France this July. This is the same competition that Hana Beloglavec won two years earlier. Please congratulate Kirsten on her achievements. What an honor!
Freshman bass trombonist Evan Clifton has been named a finalist in the 2012 International Trombone Association's George Roberts Bass Trombone Competition. He'll be competing in July over in Paris, France for the top prize against students from The Juilliard School and the United Kingdom respectively. This is the same competition that was won by WMU sophomore bass trombonist Derek Lyp last year. Please congratulate Evan. What an achievement!
Congratulations to senior trombonist Alyssa Madeira after being interviewed and then hired by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra front offices. Alyssa will be working part time in their Marketing Department from here in Kalamazoo while she completes her undergraduate degree work from Western this semester. Please congratulate Alyssa the next time you see her.
Congratulations to Kirsten Schaffert for being selected as the School of Music's Presidential Scholar for 2012, WMU's highest academic award. As one of 46 Presidential Scholars throughout the entire university, she will be honored by President Dunn in a special reception in March, 2012. The award is based on academic or artistic excellence in the student's respective major and intellectual and/or artistic promise. Kirsten is the second trombonist in three years to win the Presidential Scholar award.
2011
Freshman bass/tenor trombone Evan Clifton has been selected as one of three finalists in the Eastern Trombone Workshop's National Bass Trombone Solo Competition, Division I. He will now compete in the competition finals in March, 2012 in Washington, D.C. What an honor!
Sophomore bass trombone performance major Derek Lyp was chosen as the 1st place winner in the International Trombone Association's George Roberts Bass Trombone Competition, held at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Congratulations to Derek!
Eric Bowman has been notified of receiving another major honor. For the second year in a row, Eric has received the prestigious Downbeat Award for the outstanding performance in the Undergraduate College Instrumental Jazz Soloist category, presented by Downbeat Magazine.
Hana Beloglavec has received word of yet another major achievement. Hana is one of two tenor trombonists to be selected into the highly competitive Master of Music program at the Yale School of Music. Students who are admitted to the program pay no tuition and receive a sizable fellowship to go toward expenses. At Yale Hana will be a trombone student of Scott Hartman. What an honor!
Kirsten Schaffert has been nominated by the School of Music faculty as one of four finalists for the School of Music's Senior Award, based on artistic and academic excellence and promise.
Trombone performance major Hana Beloglavec has been selected as one of two tenor trombonists to attend the renowned International Festival
Institute at Round Top, one of the elite summer program for aspiring
professional orchestral musicians.
First year graduate student Nate Musch has been selected as honorable mention selection in the prestigious International Trombone Association's Lewis Van Haney Philharmonic Prize competition. Congratulations on the impressive achievement!
Performance major Eric Bowman has been recognized as the 1st Alternate (4th place) in the prestigious International Trombone Association's Lewis Van Haney Philharmonic Prize competition. What an honor!
Bass trombone performance major Derek Lyp has been named one of three finalists in the International Trombone Association's George Roberts Solo Competition. He will now be competing for the top prize at the 2011 International Trombone Festival in Nashville, TN this coming June. Congratulations Derek!
Trombone performance major Hana Beloglavec has been informed of receiving WMU's highest academic award, the 2010-2011 Presidential Scholar Award. As one of 46 Presidential Scholars throughout the entire university, she will be honored by President Dunn in a special reception in March, 2011. The award is based on academic or artistic excellence in the student's respective major and intellectual and/or artistic promise (see article here).
2010
Brian Wagner has been hired at Cornerstone University to teach trombone, low brass, and brass methods. Congratulations!
Congratulations to Hana Beloglavec on winning her SECOND International Trombone Association solo competition. Hana was awarded the 1st place prize in the Larry Wiehe Solo Trombone Competition, held at the International Trombone Festival in Austin, TX. As a result she won a new King 3B tenor trombone.
Congratulations to bass trombonist Evan Dorner for being accepted as a performer into the competitive Pokorny Low Brass Seminar 2010, held at the University of Redlands in California. As a result, Evan will get to work with and perform for Chicago Symphony Orchestra low brass members Gene Pokorny (tuba) and Michael Mulcahy (trombone), and Detroit Symphony Orchestra bass trombonist Randy Hawes.
Eric Bowman was recently notified of receiving TWO major honors. He received the prestigious Downbeat Award for the outstanding performance in the Undergraduate College Instrumental Jazz Soloist category presented by Downbeat Magazine. He also received the honorable mention selection in the competitive Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition.
Master's trombone performance major Jeremy Marks has been accepted into the doctoral trombone program at three major music schools. He has decided to attend the University of Texas, Austin for his doctorate.
Master's trombone performance major Brian Wagner has been accepted into the doctoral trombone program at Michigan State University.
Congratulations to junior trombone majors Adam Lenz, Hana Beloglavec and Eric Bowman for being selected for three of the four competitive School of Music Senior Music Awards. The award results will be announced at the Student Awards Convocation. Award amounts will total $4,500, $1,000, $800, and $500 respectively.
Junior trombone performance major Hana Beloglavec has been selected to participate in the very competitive Bar Harbor Brass Week, featuring both Matt Vaughn and Blair Bollinger of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Congratulations to Hana Beloglavec for being named a finalist in the International Trombone Association's Larry Wiehe Trombone Competition. Hana will now compete against two other finalists for the 1st place prize at the International Trombone Festival held at the University of Texas in Austin this July.
Congratulations to WMU junior trombone performance major Eric Bowman for being selected as one of three finalists in the National Solo Jazz Competition, held at the Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, D.C.
2009
Congratulations to the WMU Trombone Choir for receiving an invitation to perform a recital at the Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, D.C., March 17-20, 2010.
Sophomore trombonist Adam Lenz just completed a
trip to Yerevan, Armenia to do research on Aram Khachaturian's rare and unrecorded chamber music
and to gather sheet music for a new ensemble in which he will participate. The trip was research for his Honors College thesis project (see Random Studio Photos II for pictures from the trip).
Junior performance major Eric Bowman has won 1st place in the International Trombone Association's prestigious
Carl Fontana Jazz Trombone Competition, held at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Aarhus, Denmark. (News release: http://www.wmich.edu/wmu/news/2009/08/006.html)
Bass trombonist Evan Conroy has received word of yet another honor. Evan won the only bass trombonist opening this year for the highly-competitive Orchestral Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music. The program is designed to provide orchestral training at a post-conservatory level. In addition, Evan recently received word that he won the ONLY bass trombone opening this year at the renowned Juilliard School of Music to study with New York Philharmonic bass trombonist James Markey. Both schools have also offered him very attractive financial packages to attend. (updated 3/31/09)
Sophomore performance major Hana Beloglavec has been named the winner of the Division II level of the U.S. Army Band's National Trombone Solo Competition, held at the Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, D.C. Hana performed the Persichetti, Parable in two very competitive live rounds of competition at the U.S. Army Band headquarters at Ft. Myer. What an honor!
Congratulations to bass trombonist Matt Evans for receiving a substantial scholarship to study with retired Cleveland Orchestra principal trombonist Jim DeSano at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Congratulations to graduate student Claudia Schmitz for being awarded the School of Music's Graduate Award for Excellence in Leadership/Service.
Congratulations to sophomore Eric Bowman for being named a finalist in TWO International Trombone Association competitions: Robert Marsteller Solo Competition and the Carl Fontana Jazz Trombone Competition. He will now compete against two other students in each category at the International Trombone Festival in Aarhus, Denmark in June (added 2/10/09).
Congratulations to freshman Kirsten Schaffert for being named as an honorable mention in the International Trombone Association's Gilberto Gagliardi Solo Competition (added 2/10/09).
Congratulations to sophomore trombone performance major
Hana Beloglavec for being selected as one of five semifinalists in the U.S. Army Band's National Solo Competition. She will now compete against four other students in Washington, D.C. this March. (added 1/24/09)
2008
Congratulations to freshman trombone performance major
Hana Beloglavec for being selected as one of the winners
in the prestigious Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition.
She will now receive an all-expense paid trip in June
to compete
against the other seven winners for a grand prize worth
$5,000 (added 4/23/08).
High school senior Zach Land has been accepted into the Oberlin Conservatory
of Music and awarded a scholarship to attend.
High school junior bass trombonist Matt Evans has been selected for
the prestigious summer program at Tanglewood in Massachusetts.
Master's student Chris Green has received a full tuition scholarship
to study under Jeannie Little at Louisiana State University
as he works toward his doctorate.
Junior bass trombone major Evan Conroy has been selected the bass
trombonist to attend the renowned International Festival
Institute at Round Top, one of the elite summer program for aspiring
professional musicians. He has also been selected as the alternate at
the Chautauqua Institute.
Congratulations to junior bass trombone performance major Evan Conroy
for winning the Division II level of the Eastern Trombone
Workshop's National Trombone Solo Competition, a competition held in
Washington DC and sponsored by the US Army Band. What an honor!
Congratulations to freshman trombone performance major Eric Bowman.
Eric has been named one of three finalists in the International
Trombone Association's Gilberto Gagliardi Solo Competition. Eric will
compete against two other finalists at the 2008 International Trombone
Festival in Salt lake City, Utah in late May.
Congratulations to junior bass trombone performance major Evan Conroy
for being named one of three finalists in the International
Trombone Association's Donald Yaxley Bass Trombone Solo Competition.
Evan will compete against two other finalists at the 2008 International
Trombone Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah in late May. Evan has also
been named winner of the School of Music's concerto competition, sponsored
by the University Symphony Orchestra. He will perform his winning selection,
the Thom Ritter George Concerto for Bass Trombone, on
the April 13 USO concert.
Congratulations to freshman trombone performance major Hana Beloglavec
for being chosen as an honorable mention selection in
the International Trombone Association's Larry Wiehe Solo Competition
(to age 23).
2007
Brandon Drew was one of two collegiate instrumentalists
recognized as the outstanding soloists at the 2007 Detroit
International Jazz Festival in August. As a result Brandon
won a cash prize for his success. The Festival's other
outstanding soloist was WMU trumpeter Terrence Massey.
Both performed as members of the WMU Jazz Octet.
Congratulations to incoming freshman Hana Beloglavec for winning 1st
place in the International Trombone Association's prestigious
Gilberto Gagliardi Solo Competition for students 18 and under. The competition
was held at the International Trombone Festival on June
1, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
2006 trombone graduate Shawn Bell has been chosen for the Betty Carter
Jazz Ahead Workshop, held at the John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
Adam Houk has accepted a scholarship to join Mark Fisher's trombone
studio at DePaul University in Chicago where he will
begin work on his master's degree in trombone performance.
Andy Mitchell has accepted the trombone assistantship at Florida State
University where he will begin work on his master's degree
in trombone performance.
Congratulations to bass trombonist Evan Conroy and tenor trombonist
Hana Beloglavec for finishing in 2nd place in their respective
divisions at the National Trombone Solo Competition, held at the Eastern
Trombone Workshop in Washington, DC on March 22-23, 2007. Evan and Hana
gave terrific performances of their solos in tough competition during
the semifinal and final rounds. The event is sponsored by the US Army
Band.
Hana Beloglavec has been named a finalist for the second year in a
row in the International Trombone Association's Gilberto
Gagliardi Solo Competition. Hana has also been named a semifinalist
in the National Trombone Solo Competition, sponsored by the US Army
Band in Washington, DC. She will compete against four other semifinalists
in competition at the Eastern Trombone Workshop in late March. She is
also been named the winner of the Grand Rapids Symphonic Band's Youth
Soloist Competition (Updated March 1).
Bass trombone performance major Evan Conroy has been named a semifinalist
in the National Trombone Solo Competition, sponsored
by the US Army Band in Washington, DC. He will compete against four
other semifinalists at the Eastern Trombone Workshop in late March (Posted
Feb. 19).
Ruth Lindgren has been named as the 1st Alternate in the International
Trombone Association's Larry Wiehe/King Trombone Solo
Competition.. (Posted Feb. 19).
2006
Congratulations to high school senior Hana Beloglavec,
winner of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra Concerto
Competition. She will be the featured soloist with the
orchestra on their February 18, 2007 concert. Hana will
be a freshman trombone performance major at WMU in the
fall.
Senior Chris Van Hof has accepted the trombone assistantship to attend
the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where
he will be pursuing a master's degree in trombone performance.
Senior Ruth Lindgren has been awarded either a trombone assistantship
or a large scholarship to several major music schools.
However she has decided to remain in Kalamazoo after accepting an assistantship
at WMU. She will be pursuing her master's degree in trombone performance
over the next two years.
Senior trombone performance major Andy Mitchell has been chosen as
an alternate for the renowned National Orchestral Institute
for the second year in a row. He was also chosen as a semi-finalist
for the 2006 National Solo Competition, sponsored by the US Army Band
and the Eastern Trombone Workshop.
Senior jazz performance major Shawn Bell was chosen as a 2nd Alternate
in the International Trombone Association's ITA/Rath
Jazz Trombone Competition.
High school junior Hana Beloglavec (student of Dr. Wolfinbarger) was
selected as one of three finalists in the International
Trombone Association's Gilberto Gagliardi Trombone Competition. She
will now compete for the award at the 2006 International Trombone Festival
this July in Birmingham, England. Hana was also selected as the winner
of the Kalamazoo Concert Band's 2006 Youth Soloist Auditions, winning
the $1,000 first prize.award. She will perform her winning selection
on the April 8 Kalamazoo Concert Band concert.
2005
Sophomore performance major Brandon Drew was selected
as one of three finalists in the International Trombone
Association's Larry Wiehe Trombone Competition. The finals
were held at the 2005 International Trombone Festival,
held in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Freshman performance major Meghan McClish was chosen as a finialist
in the Music Club of Detroit's 2005 Bohemian's Solo Competition.
Graduate student performance major Mike Haisten was chosen as a semi-finalist
in the 2005 National Solo Competition, sponsored by the
US Army Band and the Eastern Trombone Workshop.
Congratulations to the WMU Trombone Choir, winner of the 2005 Downbeat
Award in the Chamber Music division.
Congratulations to all students who
have competed in various competitions over the past few
years. A list of their recent achievements is available
by clicking here.
