Trombone players and appreciators of all ages will gather at Glidden Hall on Saturday for the Ohio University School of Music’s annual Trombone Day.
Local high school students, OU students, visiting artists and professors will come together to learn and perform at the yearly event dedicated to the low-brass instrument. The day will include a group warm-up, master classes, rehearsals and concerts that prominently feature the trombone.
Lucas Borges, an assistant professor of trombone, took over as organizer of Trombone Day in 2015. Each year, he selects a famous trombonist to come to the event, and he models the rest of the day around that artist.
For the 2018 event, the featured artist will be Peter Steiner. Steiner attended the Juilliard School before earning a position in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the most prestigious orchestras in the world. He is now investing in a solo career, and the classes taught and pieces performed at Trombone Day will focus on trombone as a solo instrument.
“It’s a mix of bringing attention to what’s happening at OU as far as trombone goes, recruitment … and educating the community about trombone in an artistic position rather than just a background instrument,” Borges said.
Borges said the moment he most looks forward to are ones that involve many musicians working together. The morning group warm-up and the final concert featuring all attending musicians are highlights of the day for him.
He encourages OU students and Athens locals to attend the day’s free concerts to learn something new about the instrument.
“There’s actually a lot of trombone music out there that’s happening, and it’s fun, and it’s not stereotypical in any way,” he said. “We embrace the stereotype sometimes, too. We make funny noises. But we also like to show that it really is a beautiful instrument, and we love it.”
Matthew Gordon, a graduate student studying trombone performance, has helped organize Trombone Day the last two years. He is also a member of the OU Trombone Choir, which has been rehearsing long hours to prepare for the concert it will give Saturday.
Gordon said he is excited to see the happiness on the faces of the attendees and their parents who come to watch them perform. The other is to share his love for OU.
“This year I’m really excited to just interact with the people who are coming in and tell them this is my last semester here and I’m really happy I came to OU,” he said. “Just try to convey to them how good of a place this is.”
If it were up to Gordon, there would be more than one day a year dedicated to trombone. He said although it sounds “nerdy,” the day is lots of fun for the musicians involved and audience members.
“Music for me is like a communication. When we’re just playing to nobody, it’s not as fun,” he said. “I think it’s a really good opportunity for the trombonists to convey something through music and also for their parents and whoever else comes to get that message.”
