2024 Faculty and Guest Artists
Faculty Artists
Co-Founder, Faculty
Bass Trombone Designate,
San Francisco Symphony
Appointed as Bass Trombonist of the San Francisco Symphony by Esa-Pekka Salonen in 2023, Christopher Bassett currently serves as Acting Bass Trombonist with the St. Louis Symphony and was the Bass Trombonist with the Jacksonville Symphony and the Santa Fe Opera from 2017-2023. 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 also 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 and is currently completing his MM at Columbus State University with Dr. Bradley Palmer.
Co-Founder, Faculty
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, Faculty
Principal Trombone,
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Jonathan Randazzo has been Principal Trombone of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra since 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.
2024 Featured Guest Artist
2024 Guest Artist
Associate Principal Trombone,
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Amanda Stewart is currently the Associate Principal Trombonist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, a position she began in the Fall of 2014. As an orchestral musician, Ms. Stewart has played with numerous orchestras. She was Principal trombonist of the San Antonio Symphony for eight seasons, Assistant Principal trombonist of the Lyric Opera of San Antonio for four seasons, and Associate Principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic for two seasons. Ms. Stewart has also been a regular substitute and extra player with the Boston Symphony and has toured with them internationally. As an educator, Ms. Stewart currently teaches at Washington University in St. Louis. Ms. Stewart has also given masterclasses at many national universities and conservatories, including the New England Conservatory, Rice University, and The Juilliard School. Ms. Stewart is an Edwards artist, performing on Edwards trombones and Griego Mouthpieces. You can visit her personal website for more information at http://amandatrombone.com
Guest Artists and Presenters
Christan Griego
Guest Artist and Exhibitor
Owner
Griego Mouthpieces
Christan Griego is Director of Development for Edwards Instruments and the Getzen Instrument Company. Christan has made significant contributions to both the Edwards and Getzen lines of brass instruments since 1998.
He has “fit” thousands of players with Edwards/Getzen Trombones and Trumpets. From Boston to Vienna, Christan has developed instruments for individual musicians that work in their work environment for their genre.
Christan started Griego Mouthpieces in 2000 trying to find what was best for his personal playing. This passion project led to making GSI llc (Griego Sound Inventions) a machine shop that manufactures parts for all industries.
Being an avid audiophile and listener, Christan purchased Sota Turntables in 2019. This company now operates under GSI llc and is manufactured in Delavan, Wisconsin.
Christan loves listening to musicians create beautiful music and spends his spare time listening to albums in his listening room.
Jarrett McCourt
Guest Artist
Assistant Professor of Tuba
University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory
Named one of Canada’s “hottest 30 classical musicians under 30”, Jarrett 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.
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
Austin Pancner
Presenter
CEO and Founder,
The Functional Musician
Austin Pancner has a multifaceted career as a performer, educator, and health and wellness professional. As a performer, he holds the position of bass trombone at the Southwest Florida Symphony, and he has performed with ensembles such as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
As an entrepreneur and health and wellness professional, Austin founded The Functional Musician, an online coaching company that helps musicians live and perform without pain through injury prevention and recovery programs. He also holds a handful health and wellness accreditations and has helped over 100 musicians on their health and wellness journey.
Austin is currently completing his final steps of his Doctoral Degree as a doctoral candidate with an expected graduation date of December 2024. Austin is based in CIncinnati, OH where he spends his time with his piccolo playing wife, Rebecca and their mini goldendoodle Poochini.
Thomas Posavec
Presenter
University of Texas, Arlington
Thomas Posavac is the Events Manager for the Department of Music at the University
of Texas at Arlington. Over the last 20 years, he has held arts administration positions at
the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Rochester, NY; the Krannert Center for the
Performing Arts, Urbana, IL; and the Lutheran Summer Music Festival.
His work outside of arts administration includes 15 years of private low brass teaching
and over 3 years in music retail with MARS Music.
As a trombonist, Thomas has performed with Buddy’s Big Band, the Sheboygan
Symphony Orchestra, the Racine Symphony Orchestra, The Prairie Ensemble, the
Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, and the Penfield Symphony Orchestra. He is
currently a member of a multi-generational brass quintet for camaraderie and
enjoyment.
Mr. Posavac holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Texas
at Arlington and a Master of Music in Trombone Performance from Texas Christian
University.
SSG Kyle Price
Guest Artist and Exhibitor
US Army Band's Pershing's Own
Peck Custom Designs
SSG Kyle Price, native of Lexington, SC, joined The U.S. Army Band in April of 2019. He spent his later two years of high school at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities where he studied trombone under Dr. David Hamilton. He then moved to Boston, MA where he spent his undergraduate years at the New England Conservatory studying with Toby Oft, Principal Trombone of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and also studying with James Markey, Steve Lange, and Norman Bolter of the BSO. It was there that he began participating in various competitions and festivals, as well as playing with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and eventually winning his position with The U.S. Army Band.
In his spare time Price enjoys working on new musical projects, biking and exercising, and woodworking, which led to the founding of his small business “Peck Custom Designs” where he creates trombone triggers, batons, and other woodturning projects.