Trombone Summit  

Guest Artist

Carl Lenthe, Trombone

Carl Lenthe, Professor of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, was born into a musical family in 1956 and grew up in the Delaware Valley in Pennsylvania. His love of good music, inspired by concert bands and recordings of the great orchestras, was nurtured by both the school and church music programs in his hometown of Springfield. Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music led him to a career in music, which commenced at the age of 20 with his engagement as principal-trombonist under Wolfgang Sawallisch at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. His 17 year tenure there, during which he was named "Bavarian Chamber Virtuoso" by the Ministry of Culture, was followed by his appointment as principal-trombonist with the Bamberg Symphony, where he also served on that orchestra's executive committee.

As a trombone soloist, Lenthe won first prize with special distinction at the international music competition "Prague Spring" and has appeared as soloist with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Prague Symphony and the Bamberg Symphony. His solo CD "The Audition Window" has met with critical acclaim, contains some of the most standard contest and audition pieces for aspiring trombonists, and is coupled with a pilot project in music distance learning, the Lenthe Lessons. 

Extensive chamber music and recital activities have not only kept him well versed in the literature for Brass Quintet, Brass Ensemble, Trombone Quartet and Solo Trombone but also led him to arrange and publish music for these combinations. He is a regular performing member of Summit Brass, serving also on their Artist Board. His recent journalistic efforts have met with encouraging resonance in professional circles. In addition to his activities in the brass world, he also served as church organist and choir director for the Lutheran Chapel of the US Military in Bamberg, Germany.

As an orchestral trombonist Carl Lenthe has been a frequent guest with the Berlin Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Maggio Musicale in Florence and many other major orchestras in Europe. His expertise on the Wagnerian bass trumpet kept him in regular demand in many European opera houses. In the US, he has performed with the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Having received high quality instruction from the start, he feels a commitment to teaching and, beyond his regular studio teaching, enjoys working with a wide variety of pupils both on an individual basis as well as in workshops, clinics and master classes in southern Germany, Austria, northern Italy and in the USA. Through his pedagogical and performance reputation he is frequently called upon to serve as juror for instrumental competitions at both regional and international levels.

Carl Lenthe lives in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife and four children, who ensure that he also pursues a great variety of non-musical activities.   Learn more about Carl Lenthe at his web site.

Phillip Ostrander, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Phil Ostrander is Assistant Professor of Trombone at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he conducts the Symphony Band and teaches private trombone, trombone ensemble and brass techniques. Prior to his work at Eau Claire, he held a faculty position in New York at SUNY Geneseo teaching trombone and jazz studies. Dr. Ostrander completed his doctoral studies in trombone performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music in the studio of Dr. John Marcellus. Dr. Ostrander received master's degrees in both trombone and wind conducting from the New England Conservatory, as well as a bachelor's and Performer's Certificate from Eastman. From 1999 to 2001, he taught trombone and conducted the wind ensemble at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. While in Kansas, Dr. Ostrander conducted the 250 member Kansas Lions Band. In the summer of 2001, he was wind ensemble director at the New England Music Camp in Sidney, Maine. He has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Kansas City Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic and the popular chamber group Rhythm and Brass. Currently, he is a member of the IRIS Chamber Orchestra in Memphis, Tennessee under Michael Stern. Dr. Ostrander has recently been named Principal Trombone of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra. An accomplished jazz trombonist, Dr. Ostrander has collaborated with jazz artists Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely, Jimmy Heath, Claudio Roditi and Rich Beirach. He has recorded on Sony Classical with the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Naxos with the IRIS Orchestra.

Scott Moore, Gustavus Adolphus College

Scott Moore maintains an active career as a teacher, soloist and orchestral musician. He frequently performs with many professional ensembles, including the Minnesota Orchestra, and was acting bass trombonist for their 100th Anniversary season. Scott has performed with countless artists, from Midori, Pavoratti and YoYo Ma, to Sarah Vaughn and David Brubeck. Before moving to Minnesota he was an instructor at Capital University and bass trombonist for the Dayton Philharmonic. Regularly engaged by the Cincinnati Symphony during his tenure in Ohio, he can be heard on many recordings from the Symphony and the Cincinnati Pops.

As a teacher Dr. Moore is known for his ideas concerning ease of playing and musicianship. The most important aspect for his students to learn is the simplicity of making music. While musicians are trained in the concepts of breathing, intonation, rhythm, sound and phrasing that are familiar in most of the world's leading music schools, what comes as a surprise are the unusual methods employed to free aspiring musicians from past problems.

Moore is the only bass trombonist to have studied at the Juilliard School under the Professional Studies program and holds Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Former teachers include Tony Chipurn, Arnold Jacobs, Don Harwood, Marie Speziale and Edward Treutel. In addition to his duties as conductor of the brass and trombone choirs at Gustavus, Mr. Moore teaches courses in music history, popular music and a first-term seminar.

Nick Keelan, Lawrence University

Nicholas Keelan is an associate professor of music who teaches trombone; teaches in the music education department; and conducts the Lawrence University Low Brass Choir.

Mr. Keelan's degrees are from Henderson State University in Arkansas and the University of Northern Colorado. A native of Arkansas, Mr. Keelan taught in the public schools of Texas and Colorado for several years before joining the Lawrence faculty in 1985. In 1988 he was selected as the outstanding young teacher on the Lawrence faculty. Active in several state education organizations, he was president elect of the Colorado Chapter of the International Association of Jazz Educators, and has served on the board of both the Wisconsin and Colorado state Music Educators Associations.

Mr. Keelan has been a trombone soloist and clinician with numerous school, college, and civic bands and orchestras throughout the United States. As a performer Mr. Keelan has been the principal trombone with the Denver Chamber Orchestra and the Arkansas Symphony and was an active freelance musician in Denver and Dallas. For four years he was lead trombone with the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, playing on their first two albums. He is currently the trombonist with the Lawrence Brass, the Lawrence faculty jazz combo, Extempo, and is the co-leader of the jazz band the Big Band Reunion. He is the founder and former conductor of the Wisconsin Brass Professors Brass Choir. He performs on Benge and King trombones and is a clinician for the United Musical Instrument Company.

Mr. Keelan's current research interests include the use of music technology for production of educational videos of low brass pedagogues and techniques for dealing with performance anxiety. He has recieved numerous research grants in these areas.

Rick Gaynor, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Rick Gaynor. instructor of Trombone/Euphonium, also directs UWRF Brass Ensemble, Trombone Choir, and teaches Music Appreciation at UW-River Falls. He received his degree in Music Performance from UW-River Falls where he studied with James Gauthier and David Herring. He received his Master’s degree in Trombone Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music where his teachers included Cleveland Orchestra trombonists Ed Anderson and Tom Klaber. He also spent a summer participating in the Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado where he studied with Per Brevig of the Metropolitan Opera and the Juliard School (New York City.)

Mr. Gaynor is an active performer in the Twin Cities area. He has performed hundreds of concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (two of this country’s leading ensembles.) He has performed in top Broadway musicals, including nearly 150 performances of "Phantom of the Opera".

Mr. Gaynor has performed under some of the world’s leading conductors including: Edo de Waart, Roger Norington, Mark Wigglesworth, Henry Charles Smith, Eiji Oue, David Zinman, Robert Shaw, Roberto Abbado, Helmut Rilling, Richard Bonynge, Emmanuel Plassin, Marco Quidarini, Daniel Harding, Hans Vonk, Christopher Hogwood, Andreas Delfs, Hugh Wolff, and Bobby McFerrin.

Mr. Gaynor has performed with some of the world’s leading musicians and entertainers including; Luciano Pavarotti, the Three Tenors, Charlotte Church, The Temptations, Moody Blues, the Dallas Brass and The Canadian Brass. He has been a Featured Soloist with the UW-River Falls Wind Ensemble, The Phipps Center Orchestra, many area high school bands, the International Trombone Association Conference and a Clinician with the International Tuba/Euphonium Conference.

Mr. Gaynor can be heard on numerous recordings including the Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble’s (I.C.E.) "I Dig", Innova 548. He has performed at some of the world’s leading venues including: London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, as a part of the London Jazz Festival; and New York’s Carnegie Hall with the Minnesota Orchestra.

In the tradition of Emory Remington’s Eastman Trombone Choir, I encourage participation in the UW-River Falls Trombone Choir. We perform on Brass Concerts and other special occasions.