2023 Guest Artist
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2023 Guest Artist
Principal Trombone, The Cleveland Orchestra
Brian Wendel joined The Cleveland Orchestra as Principal Trombone in August of 2022, appointed by Franz Welser-Möst. Brian previously served as Principal Trombone of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) for five seasons, beginning in 2017. Enjoying the thrill of solo performances and competitions, he has appeared as a soloist with the Vancouver and Prince George Symphonies, Denver University Brass Ensemble, and the Juilliard Trombone Choir, and was winner of the Music International Grand Prix—Winds and Brass category (2021), Online Trombone Competition (2020), Alessi Seminar Asia Competition (2018) and two International Trombone Association competitions (2014 and 2016). He has also performed with the Seattle Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the New York Philharmonic Brass Ensemble. Brian received his bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School under the mentorship of Joseph Alessi.
Faculty
Co-Founder
Acting Bass Trombone
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Bass Trombone, SFO
Currently serving as Acting Bass Trombonist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Bassett has been the Bass Trombonist with the Jacksonville Symphony and the Santa Fe Opera since 2017. Winner of the Zellmer Trombone Competition (2017), ATW Solo Competition (2016), and the Edward Kleinhammer and ITA Trombone Quartet Competitions (2017), and a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center (2016) he has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Boston Pops, and the Indianapolis Symphony. Christopher can be heard on the Santa Fe Trombones’ debut album of trombone trios entitled “Tres Amigos” released in 2021. Passionate about working with students of all ages, his students have won leadership positions in NYO2 USA, All State Ensembles, and earn scholarships to study at top university music programs. Christopher studied with James Markey at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree in 2016.
Co-Founder
Associate Professor of Trombone
University of New Mexico
Chris Buckholz is a virtuoso crossover artist in both classical music and jazz. He is Associate Professor of Trombone at the University of New Mexico. Buckholz has three solo CDs to his credit, including the groundbreaking 2015 double album Versatility. From 1997 to 2005, Buckholz was the lead trombonist for the Army Jazz Ambassadors in Washington, D.C.. As a principal soloist with the Jazz Ambassadors, Buckholz was featured in concerts with the Boston Pops at Tanglewood and on the Esplanade, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Pops at Carnegie Hall. Buckholz is featured as a soloist on four Jazz Ambassadors CDs. Dr. Buckholz received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wake Forest University, his Masters of Music from Yale University, and the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan. His principal teachers in classical music include Arnold Jacobs, H. Dennis Smith, John Swallow, and Christopher Dudley. He has studied jazz trombone with Conrad Herwig, Curtis Fuller, Steve Davis, Steve Turre, and Jim McFalls.
Co-Founder
Principal Trombone Designate
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Acting Principal Trombone, SFO
Jonathan Randazzo was named Principal Trombone Designate of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in January 2023 where he will begin in September 2023. In October of 2010, Jonathan Randazzo was appointed Assistant Principal Trombone of the North Carolina Symphony while in pursuit of his Bachelor of Music Degree at the New England Conservatory of Music. In August of 2017, Jonathan was appointed Second Trombone of the Santa Fe Opera. For the 2021 thru 2023 seasons, Jonathan has served as Acting-Principal Trombone. As an avid teacher, Jonathan held the position of Adjunct Trombone Professor at NC State University from 2015-2022 and is currently in high demand as a private trombone instructor. Over the past several years, Jonathan has been hired as guest artist-clinician at DePaul University, UNC School of the Arts, East Carolina, Gardner-Webb and Appalachian State Universities. Jonathan’s trombone teachers and mentors include Norman Bolter, former Second Trombonist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Joseph Alessi of the New York Philharmonic, James Markey of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Willard Sprague, a local pedagogue on Long Island. While in high school, Jonathan attended The Juilliard School Pre-College division program.
Performance Psychology
Ingela Onstad
Performance Psychologist
University of New Mexico
Soprano Ingela Onstad has enjoyed a varied international career in opera, concert work, and contemporary music. Operatic highlights include performances at Dresden’s Staatsoperette, Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Landestheater Schleswig-Holstein, and Santa Fe Opera in roles including Musetta in La Boheme, and many more. Ms. Onstad completed her undergraduate degree at McGill University and earned a Master of Music degree at the University of New Mexico. In addition to her work as a singer, Ms. Onstad is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) who frequently presents on topics concerning mental health and performers. With her business Courageous Artistry she provides specialized performance coaching services to the performing arts community worldwide. For more information on her performance anxiety work, please click here
Tuba
Jarrett McCourt
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Tuba
Vanderbilt University
Named one of Canada’s “hottest 30 classical musicians under 30”, McCourt holds the Principal Tuba chair of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Prior to joining the Vanderbilt faculty, he was the Principal Tubist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the New World Symphony. He has performed with a number of different ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Canadian Brass. McCourt has won several international competitions, including the New World Symphony Concerto Competition, the Marta Hidy Competition for Brass in Toronto, and concerto competitions across Canada and the U.S. Most notably, he won the top prize in the brass category of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal’s Standard Life Competition in 2014, becoming the first tubist to do so in the competition’s 75-year history. Additionally, he was a finalist in the XVI Tchaikovsky Competition (the inaugural year for brass participants) in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the only North American tubist to participate in the live rounds.
Past Guest Artists
