Patrick Anderson is a trombonist, arranger, and engraver from the Twin Cities, Minnesota.  Entering his senior year at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, he is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance.  While at the Jacobs School of Music, Patrick has performed with orchestras, the Wind Ensemble, and chamber ensembles such as the Indiana University Trombone Choir, Brass Band, and his trombone quartet.  He is also a recipient of the Rostislav Dubinsky Scholarship; an endowment awarded to outstanding musicians specializing in chamber music.

During the summer of 2024, Patrick traveled to Vienna, Austria to study chamber music.  While in Vienna, he studied with Walter Voglmayr, Soloposaunist of the Wiener Symphoniker.

In 2023, he was a participant at the Pokorny Seminar where he worked extensively with the faculty in masterclasses and section coachings.

His principal teachers include Professor Peter Ellefson, Kari Sundström, Dr. Jonathan Whitaker, and Dr. Terry Leahy. His chamber coaches include Professor Carl Lenthe and Dr. Brittany Lasch.

Robert Cardon-Wake attends Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music as a doctoral student of trombone performance; he studies with Professor Peter Ellefson. Robert is a member of the IU graduate brass quintet, and he previously served as the sole trombone of the university’s acclaimed New Music Ensemble. He has premiered (as both soloist and chamber musician) more than a dozen works by IU faculty and students. Previously, Robert earned degrees in trombone performance from Vanderbilt University and the University of Denver where he studied with Jeremy Wilson and Richard Harris respectively.  

At Vanderbilt University, Robert performed with the orchestra, wind symphony, contemporary music ensemble, and big band. For 3 years, Robert also performed with the West End Brass Quintet, which was selected by Vanderbilt faculty to study in Berlin with members of the Berlin Philharmonic and deliver two public recitals in Berlin through the Vanderbilt Music Academy. At the University of Denver, Robert performed with various large ensembles and the Graduate Trombone Quartet, which won second prize in the Lamont Chamber Competition, appeared as featured performers at two Big 12 Trombone Conferences, and delivered numerous professional recitals throughout the city of Denver. At DU, Robert also received the Brass Ring Award for Performance and Citizenship Excellence and a grant from the Levy Innovation Fund, which he used to commission and record Xavier Goine’s Etudes for an Echoing Trombone: the first collection of etudes designed to introduce student trombonists to the Boss RC-300 loop station, a piece of equipment which is utilized in many pieces of contemporary trombone repertoire. 

Robert lives in Bloomington, IN with his wife Emma Cardon-Wake (who is earning a doctorate in composition through the Jacobs School of Music) and their three cats Hoagy, Reuben, and Panini.

Caleb Dusek is an incoming freshman from Rosemount, Minnesota and will be studying under Peter Ellefson. Caleb will be pursuing a BM in Trombone Performance and a BME in Instrumental Music Education. 

During Caleb’s high school career, he was a member of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony, led by Mark Russell Smith, as well as the Minnesota Youth Jazz Band, led by Phil Holm. Caleb was also a part of many of his high school’s ensembles, including their wind ensemble, jazz band, marching band, and men’s choir. Caleb also participated in the Honor Band of America during his senior year of high school. Caleb has previously studied under Dr. Joshua Becker and Dr. Carson King-Fournier.

Patrick Grimes is a trombonist, educator, and arranger from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Currently attending the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, he is a recipient of the Jacobs Scholar Award and is pursuing a BM in Trombone Performance and a BME in Instrumental Music Education with a minor in conducting. He has had the privilege of studying with some of the finest teachers in the country, including Peter Ellefson, Barry Hearn, Dr. Jonathan Whitaker, and Dr. Terry Leahy.

Leo Illari is a Trombone Performance major entering his sophomore year studying under Peter Ellefson. Originally from Denton, TX, he previously studied under Casey and Samson Flancbaum, Jordan Stone, and Tylar Bullion. While at IU, Leo has been a part of the IU Trombone Choir, IU Symphonic Band, IU All Campus Orchestra, and involved in many student composition premieres. He also studied sackbut under Liza Malamut and performed with the IU Sackbut Ensemble.

Outside of trombone, Leo enjoys watching movies

Andrew Joyal is an incoming freshman from Denville, NJ who is pursuing a BM in Trombone Performance.  He began his musical studies in first grade when, despite his initial protests, his parents enrolled him in his local church choir. Four years later, when it was time for him to choose his instrument for the fourth-grade band, he chose the trombone because the slide was funny. Since then he has had the opportunity to be a part of the New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), the New York Youth Symphony (NYYS), and the Juilliard Preparatory Division. He has had the privilege of studying under several world-class teachers including: Demian Austin, Weston Sprott, Nicholas Schwartz, Burt Mason, and Vernon Post. Recently he has performed side-by-side with the New York Philharmonic as part of the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra, performed the David Trombone Concertino with the Hanover Wind Symphony, toured Italy and France in the summer of 2023 with NJYS, and Greece in the summer of 2024 with NYYS.

Outside of trombone, Andrew loves singing, conducting, skiing, biking, swimming, and hanging out with his friends. At IU, he looks forward to beginning his studies with Professor Ellefson and getting to know the rest of the studio!

Wayne Kreml is a Master of Music student in his second year studying trombone performance under Peter Ellefson. He has performed with the Ballet Indiana for The Nutcracker, Constellation Stage and Screen’s production of Matilda, and the IU theater department’s production of Cabaret. At Jacobs, he has performed with the Trombone Choir, Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and in multiple recordings with the Joshi Recording Studio.

Before attending the Jacobs School of Music, Wayne received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in the spring of 2023, where he participated in multiple ensembles. He was a member of the Wind Ensemble, Philharmonia, Trombone Choir, and Tuba Mirum where he doubled on euphonium, and also performed with the Hydra Brass Quintet and Remington Trombone Quartet. During his senior year at Eastman, Wayne was awarded the Steve Witser Award for Excellence for his contribution to both of the trombone studios. Additionally, he served as a resident advisor for three years and received the Linda Muise Student Life Award for outstanding contribution to student life and the community.

Wayne is a co-founder of Waypoint Music Camps, a summer program designed to reach out to youth and foster both a passion for music and the ability to create it. At Waypoint, he serves as the Outreach Manager and Instructor of Trombone and Euphonium, working as the liaison between venues and special guests. During the camps, he regularly gives faculty recitals, masterclasses, teaches private lessons, and offers guidance to students pursuing their own musical talents past high school.

Wayne is originally from Columbus, Ohio, where he has built his own teaching studio over the years. He is an avid practitioner in mindfulness both on and off the instrument. In Columbus, he became an Eagle Scout after starting a research endowment for COPD research with the Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.

William Lee is a rising junior from Fredericksburg, Virginia who is pursuing a BM in Trombone Performance under the direction of Peter Ellefson. At the Jacobs School of Music, he has performed with the orchestras, ballet pits, and chamber ensembles including the Indiana University Trombone Choir and brass quintet. Highlights of his time here so far include playing principal trombone on "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" in concert as well as the entirety of The Planets.

Taylor Mechura is a tenor trombonist from Katy, Texas. She is a freshman pursuing a degree in Music Education and studying trombone under Peter Ellefson. Prior to attending the Jacobs School of Music she attended Cinco Ranch High School. During High School she studied with Alexander Knutrud.

Taylor was a part of the Houston Youth Symphony for two years where she was under the direction of Dr. Michael Webster. For the marching arts she is on staff at Freeman High School in Katy Texas as a visual tech. She has taught lessons to the kids at the feeder junior high schools, and has always provided guidance to her fellow trombonists at her High School.

Outside of music Taylor enjoys going to the gym, baking and playing volleyball. She enjoys trying to bake new recipes that she’s never seen before then tweaking them to make her own version of it.

Wesley Nielsen is a performer, music arranger, and content creator from Boise, Idaho. He received his Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Boise State University and is in his second year of pursuing a Master of Music Performance degree at Indiana University.

Wesley strongly believes that maintaining an online presence can be a great aid to the modern musician. His website WNTrombone.com contains more information about his music arranging and teaching as well as links to his other social media presences on Instagram and YouTube (both @WNTrombone). In addition to his own social media curation, Wesley was privileged served as the social media advisor for the 2024 DC Trombone Workshop.

Wesley considers himself a connoisseur of cranberry juices, enjoys cooking, and likes backyard birdwatching.

Andrei Parrish is a junior trombone performance major from Dallas TX. He started trombone in 6th grade, studying with James Evans and going on to receive additional lessons from James Wallace.

While attending high school at Plano West Senior High School, he performed in their wind ensemble as well as the Plano West Symphony Orchestra, which had the honor of being named the Texas Music Educator Association’s Honor Orchestra in 2022. In addition to this, he was a member of the Plano West Jazz Orchestra which qualified for Essentially Ellington in New York twice. His senior year he also had the privilege of performing with GDYO’s wind symphony. He qualified for area auditions twice while taking TMEA All-Region auditions (junior and senior year of high school).

As a student at Indiana University he has had the privilege of performing in ensembles such as Wind Ensemble, University Orchestra, Brass Band and Trombone Choir, as well as performing in chamber groups such as a brass trio and trombone quartet.

During the summers, he’s been involved in different summer festivals for trombone. He was a two time participant in the Festival of Trombones in Coppell, Texas (2022 and 2023). In 2023 he had the privilege of attending the Third Coast Trombone Retreat where he received lessons from Joseph Alessi, Nick Schwartz and John Sebastian Vera, and performed in additional masterclasses for Joe Alessi and Jeremy Buckler. In 2024, he participated in the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute where he won the mock audition for the trombone division of the mock audition competition. In addition to this he received lessons from Scott Hartman and Megumi Kanda, and performed in masterclasses for Scott Hartman as well as Richard Harris.

Away from trombone, he enjoys working out and reading (currently he is reading the wheel of time series, which is a whooping FOURTEEN books long!) He also very occasionally cooks and is a big time coffee lover.

Michael Reed is an incoming freshman from Carmel, Indiana planning to pursue trombone performance at the Jacobs School of Music with Professor Peter Ellefson. Michael has been playing trombone since sixth grade. From 2020-2023 he had the opportunity to march with the Carmel Marching Greyhounds under the direction of Christopher Kreke and Mike Pote. During his time with the Greyhounds, he had the pleasure of being the 2022 ISSMA State Champion, the 2022 Bands of America Grand National Champion, and the 2021 and 2023 Bands of America runners up. Some of Michael’s other achievements outside of marching band includes the 2023 and 2024 ISSMA State Champions for concert band under the direction of Mike Pote and the 2024 ISSMA State Champions for symphony orchestra under the direction of Thomas Chen. He also had the opportunity to be in the 2024 ISSMA Jazz Ensemble competition in which the band won best trombone section. Michael has played the solo works Morceau Symphonique by Alexandre Guilmant, Ferdinand David’s Trombone Concertino Op. 4 Movement 3, and Arthur Pryor’s Thoughts of Love. Michael has also participated in pit orchestra for the musicals The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Cinderella. 

Outside of playing the trombone, Michael likes to compose music, exercise, write, shop for shoes, and learn about the Ancient Mayan Civilization. He also likes all things Spider-Man, history, Drum Corps International, and much more. At IU he hopes to gain a deeper understanding of himself, his instrument, and a deeper understanding of music and its connection to humanity as a whole. Michael is also looking forward to meeting new people and trying new things! 

Owen Riordan is an advancing trombonist who made his solo debut with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra at the age of 10. As of October 2022, Owen has been appointed a S.E. Shires Rising Artist, the only high school trombone artist that year. 

Bobby Sheridan is a second-year student from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, studying Instrumental Music Education at the IU Jacobs School of Music. He has played the trombone for over eight years and had the privilege to study with Jim Dowdy, Bill England, Tony Weikel, and now, Peter Ellefson. While in high school, he was a recipient of the John Philip Sousa Band Award, a 2x member of the OMEA All-State Band, and a member of the 2022 NAfME All-National Concert Band.

Bobby performed with a variety of ensembles in his first year at IU. Within the university, he has performed with the Concert Band, all three athletic bands, and in multiple studio ensembles as a Music Scoring Artist. Back in Ohio, Bobby has performed regularly as a substitute trombonist for Vaughn Weister’s Famous Jazz Orchestra and the Rick Brunetto Big Band.

Outside of trombone, Bobby is an ardent keyboardist. He has played the piano for over a decade, and is incredibly thankful to have studied with Julie Riegle, Tyler Driggs, and Kenny Wu. Some highlights include, 7 years of top ratings on solo performances and a two-show run of the Wizard of Oz playing a mash-up of two keyboard books.

Bobby has also played the organ for around two years, learning from Erni Orso and Heejin Kim. Some highlights include a scholarship winning audition at the University of Iowa and a semester of secondary lessons through Jacobs.

During his senior year in high school, Bobby was the Worship Music Intern at Messiah Lutheran Church, playing piano, organ, hymns, choir accompaniments, handbells and other pieces to fill out their Sunday worship services.

When not making music, Bobby enjoys throwing a frisbee, running, playing Wii games, and sandwiches!

Trombonist and DM candidate, Steve Slone is a former Kentucky resident now continuing his musical education at Indiana University. Steve was raised in Lexington and grew up in a mixed environment of sports and music. He attributes his musical motivation and success to his former teachers Lois Wiggins, Meagan Gentry, Dr. Terry Magee, Dr. Nathan Siler, Professor Brad Kerns, and his father Steven N. Slone. Steve attended Eastern Kentucky University for his undergraduate degrees in music education and performance while also picking up an interest in percussion instruments, attending African and Brazilian drumming workshops in KY, and steel pan workshops in Laborie, St. Lucia. While obtaining his Master's Degree from the University of Kentucky, Steve learned construction and home remodeling skills (as well as trombone skills) under the instruction of Brad Kerns. 

After his music education at the University of Kentucky, Steve was a private lessons and masterclass instructor for low brass instruments in Scott county, KY, a kitchen manager at First Watch in Richmond, KY, and an adjunct trombone professor at EKU in Richmond, KY. 

Aside from music, Steve enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, camping, and most things that deal with the outdoors. When he's not busy working or outdoors, he's relaxing at home with his two cats, Bob the Manx and Loki the Siamese or playing video games online to keep up with friends made throughout his years at school.

Jackson Stiver is a second year Master's Student from the Bay Area pursuing a trombone performance degree. During his undergrad at Oregon State University, he had the privilege of studying with Carson Keeble. Throughout his time at OSU, he has been a part of the Corvallis-OSU Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Trombone Choir, Men’s Choir, and Tuba-Euph Ensemble. While in Oregon, he participated in Orchestra Next for the productions of The Nutcracker and Little Mermaid. From the years 2016-2022 he marched with the DCI group Santa Clara Vanguard, and now currently on brass staff with them.

Outside of music Jackson likes to work out and cook. He also held his breath for 3 minutes one time.

Sam Swyers is a senior from Bloomington, Indiana, pursuing a degree in trombone performance with a minor in jazz studies. He started playing music at a young age with piano lessons which inspired him to pursue music at least through to high school. In the fifth grade, Swyers picked up the trombone, and by high school, began to pursue music more seriously. He would play in every ensemble available to him in high school, including concert band, jazz band, marching band, and honor bands, and began taking lessons with IU alumnus Heather Miller, and Mark Soueidi, principal trombonist of the Billings Symphony. Swyers also played with community ensembles in high school on tenor and bass trombones, inlcuding the Bloomington Community Band, Southern Indiana Wind Ensemble, Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, and the Bloomington Jazz Orchestra. Swyers is also a composer, winning high school composition contests. While at IU, Swyers has played with orchestras, wind ensembles, and big bands while continuing to play with the Bloomington Symphony on trombone and euphonium and the Bloomington Jazz Orchestra as lead trombonist. He has also had one of his compositions premiered; a piece for brass trio written for a group Swyers played in. He has also had the pleasure of studying with Pete Ellefson, Terry Leahy, and Jon Whitaker at IU.

Off campus, Swyers has started to form a career in music as both a performer and educator. He continues to stay in touch with his high school band director and is currently on the marching band staff as a music tech. He is also the interim director of the school's jazz combo program. Swyers is a member of local rock band Gregory's Xit, playing trombone, keyboards, singing, and is the horn arranger. He recently joined the newest salsa band in Bloomington, La Salsoteca. Also, he has formed a musical duo with a high school friend called Gasb. The two write, record, produce, mix, and master music, having independently released their music digitally. Swyers has also played in his high school's musical productions and has played with the Carmel and Moorseville high school show choirs. Outside of music, Swyers has an interest in history and enjoys TV.

Connor Wallen is a first-year Instrumental Music Education student from Hilliard, Ohio studying trombone under Peter Ellefson. Connor has had the opportunity to study trombone with Nathan Graham and Dr. Tony Weikel. While in high school, Connor performed in his marching band, where he was a featured performer for three years including a solo performance during his senior year. Connor also performed in Wind Ensemble, pit orchestra, jazz band and various brass ensembles.

Outside of school, Connor performed for two years in the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra, including principal trombone for the 2023-2024 season, and two years in the Ohio Music Educators Association All-State Band. Connor also invested in his school’s music program by providing lessons to young trombone players.

Connor’s musical pursuits have extended beyond his interest in trombone. Connor has studied piano for over 10 years under Dr. Joowon Kim and performed in his school’s men’s chorus and Symphonic Choir, serving as the choir’s student conductor.

Outside of his passion for music, Connor is an accomplished mathematician and is pursuing a minor in mathematics.