Third Coast Trombone Retreat Podcast Interview
Welcome to the show notes for Episode #27 of the Trombone Corner podcast. This episode features trombonists John Sebastian Vera and Nick Schwartz from the Third Coast Trombone Retreat Podcast. This is a special 2-part episode, so head on over to the Third Coast Trombone Retreat Podcast feed to catch the 2nd half of the interview
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About John Sebastian Vera and Nick Schwartz
John Sebastian Vera, a native of Texas, became the principal trombonist of the Pittsburgh Opera in 2010 and also joined the River City Brass as principal Trombone in 2015. He is also professor of trombone at Duquesne University and faculty member at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he teaches a course on Music Entrepreneurship and Digital Media as well as coach chamber music.
In addition to the Pittsburgh Opera, Mr. Vera has played with the symphonies of Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Buffalo, Kennedy Center Opera House, Malaysian Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Vermont, Harrisburg, Charleston, American Ballet Theatre, and Orquesta Sinaloa de las Artes in Mexico amongst others.
He began his studies with Jon Bohls in Texas and continued his education at Southern Methodist University where he studied with John Kitzman of the Dallas Symphony. He then spent a year studying with Ed Zadrozny as a graduate assistant at the University of Akron, and finished his graduate work in New York City at the Mannes College of Music studying with David Finlayson and James Markey of the New York Philharmonic.
In 2011, he spent the summer in Haiti volunteer teaching and performing in the Orchestre Philharmonique Sainte Trinite as well as the Ecole de Musique Dessaix Baptiste which became one of the more profound experiences of his life.
A dedicated chamber musician, he also was a founding member of the critically acclaimed Guidonian Hand Trombone Quartet in which he played from 2008-2014. With the quartet, John performed over 100 concerts and gave master classes all over the country. Heralded by the New York Times for their “expertly played performances” they have been recipients of numerous national grants which have enabled them to commission countless composers to create new and innovative works for four trombones. In 2014 was the premiere of River of Fundament, a movie by film artist Matthew Barney, in which John recorded for and acted in along with the quartet.
Mr. Vera can also be heard on the HBO documentary The Words that Built America as well as on euphonium in the PBS documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln, A House Divided as well as many commercial and video game soundtracks as well as James Markey’s solo release, “On Base”.
John is an Artist for Edwards Instruments and resides in Pittsburgh. His favorite musicians include Sigur Ros, Radiohead, the Books, and Efterklang. When he can get away from the trombone he most enjoys basketball, traveling and reading about psychology and social science. Check out his podcast he hosts with Nick Schwartz called the Trombone Retreat available everywhere you download your podcasts. Follow him on Instagram @js.vera.
Nicholas Schwartz has a diverse career performing across North America, Europe, and Asia. After studying at The Juilliard School with then New York Philharmonic bass trombonist Don Harwood, he moved to San Francisco where he began freelancing throughout the Bay Area.
Since 2010, he has been the principal bass trombonist of the New York City Ballet Orchestra. He has also performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera, The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, St. Lukes Chamber Orchestra, the New York City Opera, Atlanta Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, The Malaysia Philharmonic, Mostly Mozart Festival, and Classical Tahoe. Follow him on instagram @basstrombone444
Third Coast Trombone Retreat Links
Other Links Mentioned
The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark. Join hosts Noah and John as they interview John Sebastian Vera and Nick Schwartz, trombonists and podcast hosts of The Trombone Retreat. After you listen to this episode, head on over to The Trombone Retreat feed for the second half of this episode. You can come see us at Booth #271 at the TMEA Convention, February 8th thru 10th, 2024 in San Antonio Texas.
Podcast Credits
- Theme Music: The Trombone Choir Arrangements of Jay Friedman, Vol. 1
- Audio Engineer – Preston Shepard
- Cover Art – Frank Gladstone
- Podcast Hosts – Noah Gladstone & John Snell
