Hello everyone,
I am very happy to launch this blog in order to share my thoughts and experiences as a bass trombone student, performer and teacher. I hope to be able to update this blog as often as possible and hope it will be of interest for other musicians who love playing trombone as much as I do. Feel free to contact me with any questions, thoughts and suggestions in order to make this blog better.
I think it might be best to start with a biography of myself in order to give you an idea and some facts about who I am and what I do, so please find my most recent bio.
Best wishes,
Sebastian
Born and raised in Germany, Sebastian Bell began his formal musical training in Frankfurt and Berlin and went on to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he received and Artist Certificate under the tutelage of Massimo La Rosa, principal trombone of the Cleveland Orchestra and Edward Zadrozny. He furthermore received private instruction from some of the world's most accomplished bass trombonists including Stefan Schulz, Charles Vernon, Randy Hawes, Denson Paul Pollard and Douglas Yeo.
Throughout his studies, he was engaged in professional musical activities such as playing with the Staatskapelle Dresden for two years as part of their apprenticeship program and holding the bass trombone position with the Meiningen State Theater's orchestra during the 2011-2012 season.
In the United States Sebastian has been performing with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra since its 2013-14 season and will continue to do so as a member of the orchestra after having won their most recent bass trombone audition. He is also the bass trombonist of the Northwestern Indiana Symphony Orchestra and the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sebastian has furthermore performed with the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus and the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra. He spent the most recent summers performing as the bass trombone fellow of the Pacific Music Festival, Schleswig Holstein Music Festival and the Spoleto USA Festival.
Besides being a performer, Sebastian Bell is enthusiastic about teaching and is currently a low brass instructor at Skyline Music in Westlake and Lakewood City Schools in the greater Cleveland area.
As a chamber musician, Sebastian was a member of the University of Arts' trombone ensemble that won the Emory Remington Trombone Choir Competition, hosted by the International Trombone Association in 2010.
