Join us for the first ever Excerpt Fest this June! Featuring masterclasses, recitals, a participant ensemble, vendors, and more all celebrating the trombone parts in orchestral repertoire! Interested in testing your excerpt knowledge? Compete in our mock audition competition. Registration is free and there is no fee to compete but please use the form below to sign up. Reach out with any questions: lrudzinskas@uakron.edu

SCHEDULE- SATURDAY, JUNE 1

10:00-12:15 PM | Mock Audition Competition

11:30 AM | Vendors

12:30 PM | Welcome Recital - Featuring the Toledo Symphony Trombone Section

1:00 PM | Participant Ensemble Rehearsal

1:30 PM | Masterclass with Dr. Lauren Rudzinskas

2:30 PM | Vendors

3:00 PM | Concert - Participant Ensemble & The Ohio Community Trombone Choir

Featured Guest Artists:
The Toledo Trombone Section

Garth Simmons is the principal trombonist with the Toledo Symphony and a member of the Detroit Chamber Winds. He began playing trombone at age nine in his hometown of Billings, Montana. Garth left the West at age 17 to study music and mathematics at Northwestern University. His primary teacher was Frank Crisafulli. He spent his summers at the Aspen Festival, studying trombone with Per Brevig of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Mr. Simmons continued musical training at the Eastman School of Music with John Marcellus, earning a Masters degree and the Performer’s Certificate, that institution's highest honor. During his studies at Eastman, Garth spent one year as the principal trombonist of the Florida Symphony Orchestra in Orlando.

Following his graduation from Eastman, Garth spent several years in Chicago, where he enjoyed a highly successful career as a freelance musician. During this time he held the position of second trombone with both the Chicago Sinfonietta and Elgin Symphony Orchestra, while continuing his studies in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Other notable performing credits include Sir Georg Solti’s Carnegie Hall Project, the Schlossfestspiele Heidelberg, Germany, the Chicago Opera Theater, and soloist with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra.

In 1997, Mr. Simmons left Chicago to become the principal trombonist with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 2000. While in Birmingham, Garth was on the faculty of Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

In addition to his duties with the TSO, Garth maintains an active schedule as a soloist, chamber musician and educator. He is regularly featured as a soloist with the TSO, including performances of Christopher Rouse’s Trombone Concerto in March of 2008. He has presented numerous recitals as a visiting artist, including appearances at the University of Alabama, Northern Illinois University, Illinois State University, and Northwestern University.

From 2006 to 2017, Mr. Simmons was adjunct associate professor of trombone at Bowling Green State University. During this time he taught applied trombone, brass chamber music, and brass orchestral repertoire.

Garth can be heard on several recordings with the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Orchestra of the Assumption Grotto, and the Asbury Brass Quintet. Mr. Simmons also performs frequently as a substitute and extra with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. His debut solo CD, American Visions, was released in 2013 and is available at www.garthsimmons.com, CDBaby, and Apple Music.

Jaewoo Lee is currently the Second Trombone of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. He has also held positions with the Kalamazoo, South Bend, and Adrian symphony orchestras. He has also performed with several regional orchestras across Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. Originally from Saratoga, CA, he holds degrees from Baylor University and Indiana University. In addition to performing and teaching, he enjoys cooking, reading, playing video games, and watching sports.

Always looking for new and trendy ideas, Zachary Litty is an innovative and eclectic bass trombonist. He joined the Toledo Symphony Orchestra as Bass Trombone in March of 2023, appointed by Alain Trudel. He has also performed with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Orchestra, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and the Firelands Symphony Orchestra.

Zachary received his bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University, studying with Dr. Drew C. Leslie and Dr. Joseph Brown. He also holds a master's degree and an artist diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, under the mentorship of Randall Hawes and Peter Sullivan.

As a student, Zachary spent summers as an Orchestral Fellow at the Music Academy of the West; Aspen Music Festival and School, and the National Orchestral Institute + Festival. During the time he attended these festivals, his teachers included Weston Sprott, Mark Lawrence; John Engelkes, John D. Rojak; Matthew Guilford, Larry Zalkind, and Ken Thompkins.

He has performed a wide variety of solo literature, from Baroque music like Telemann's "Recorder Sonata in F minor", to contemporary Swiss composer Daniel Schnyder's "subZERO Bass Trombone Concerto", to American singer-songwriter and composer Frank Zappa's "The Black Page #1".

Mock Audition Competition Repertoire

Tenor Trombone

Mozart Requiem- Tuba Mirum

Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries (Tbn 1, Excerpt 1)

Ethel Smyth - Overture to the Wreckers (Tbn 1, rehearsal 32 to the end)

Bass Trombone

Haydn - The Creation (Excerpt 1)

Wagner- Ride of the Valkyries (Tbn 3, Excerpt 1)

Ethel Smyth - Overture to the Wreckers (Tbn 3, Opening to rehearsal 3)

*You will receive a packet with excerpts when you register to compete (or view the links/scroll to the bottom of this page)

Ethel Smyth - Overture to the Wreckers (Tbn 1, rehearsal 32 to the end)