Played their way into the history books
Sliding into international recognition, the Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) Trombone Studio struck gold winning the International Trombone Association (ITA) Remington Trombone Choir Competition.
Representing the strong music culture in South Texas, the TAMUK Trombone Studio has earned a trip to London, Ontario, Canada, this summer beating out musicians from around the world to earn the right to call themselves Remington Trombone Competition champions. This feat was made possible by the hard work and dedication of the students and directors.
“The achievement of this award was a testament to the student’s hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence. They were challenged with performing two highly demanding pieces—one designated by the International Trombone Association’s competition committee and the other selected by our ensemble. Each student devoted significant time to individual practice, refining their parts independently before joining ensemble rehearsals with me to elevate the performance to a professional standard in preparation for the recording sessions,” Professor Dr. Oscar Diaz said.
The TAMUK Trombone studio gathered in November after tireless work on their pieces to record and send in their submission on Jan. 20. At 10 a.m. students and directors were met with the news that they had won the prestigious competition. A competition dominated by Division I schools throughout its 54-year history.
“It’s the equivalent to winning the Super Bowl for trombones, it’s almost like the TAMUK football team beating the University of Texas. I couldn’t believe it. I had just woken up and there was banging on my door and it was my roommate congratulating me and I had no idea what was going on it was such a shocker,” Music Major and Vice President of the TAMUK Trombone Association Alberto Guerrero said.
Students in the TAMUK Trombone Studio play to inspire young musicians around South Texas who are in the same situation they were in as young musicians at the high school and middle school.
“A lot of the schools that we beat, when these students were younger, they had private lessons. We come from South Texas where a lot of us didn’t get private lessons; we were taught by saxophone directors as trombones, and when we got here Dr. Diaz was just us up to the rest of the world,” Music Major Angel Herrera said.