Trombone Choir

The Trombone Choir was founded in 1977 by Donald Knaub and is now directed by Nathaniel Brickens, Professor of Trombone at UT. It is made up of UT trombone students and works as a lab extension of the trombone studio. The group has toured regionally, nationally and abroad, and has won the Remington International Trombone Choir Competition.

The ensemble specializes in original music for trombones in four to sixteen parts. Past programs have mixed Baroque pieces such as Bach's Passacaglia in C Minor with modern fanfares and new works. They have also included smaller octets drawn from the group and the occasional student conductor. Bates Recital Hall is the school's main hall for large ensembles, with a big stage and the Visser-Rowland tracker organ.

You rarely hear this many trombones together, and the sound is warmer and more choral than most people expect. The players are students, taught by a professor whose ensemble has won national competitions. It makes for an easy campus concert in Austin for anyone curious about brass.