8th Position

Switching gears a little this week and talking to a more jazz-oriented guest, Mr. Wes Funderburk! As a faculty member of Kennesaw State University and an established composer and performer in Atlanta, Wes has extensive freelance experience and has some great stories to share. He's also just a genuinely funny guy and a joy to talk to, with our conversation spanning from his early inspirational figures and jazz trombone idols to some questionable jokes he shared with an unsuspecting elderly audience... yikes. We hope you find this as entertaining as we did!

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Transition music: Chicago Blues, Kenny Dorham, Wes Funderburk & Joe Gransden Big Band 2013

Intro/Outro music: I Will Go Sailing No More, Randy Newman, Lawson Gardner

Instagram: @8thposition @dbaldwin903 @lawson.does.trombone

We greet you this weekend with an excellent interview with Dr. Zsolt Szabo, Assistant Professor of Trombone and Euphonium at Western Carolina University and freelancer with considerable substitute experience. At the risk of giving too much away about this insightful conversation, we talked with him about his childhood and schooling in Romania, as well as some important pedagogical concepts and orchestral performance stories. The duration of this interview followed an exponential path of inspiration, and we hope it’s as valuable to you as it was for us!

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Transition music: Concertino for 4 Trombones & Piano, Jan Koetsier, American Trombone Quartet 2020

Intro/Outro music: I Will Go Sailing No More, Randy Newman, Lawson Gardner

Instagram: @8thposition @dbaldwin903 @lawson.does.trombone

This week we spoke with Dr. Mark Whitfield, principal trombone of the Wilmington Symphony, Assistant Professor of Trombone and Euphonium at Eastern Carolina University, and Darien's very first private teacher! He had some great stories to share about his 5 years in Carolina Crown, offered some inspirational insight into his wearisome doctoral studies, and an awesome account of his time recording with a musical hero... we hope you enjoy this episode!

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Transition music: Elegy, Joe Buono, Mark Whitfield 2021

Intro/Outro music: I Will Go Sailing No More, Randy Newman, Lawson Gardner

Instagram: @8thposition @dabaldwin903 @lawson.does.trombone

Coming to you this week with a more lighthearted interview with Ms. Sarah Goldberg, a member of NYO2, a National YoungArts winner, and current student at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Her Instagram practice page, @sarahplaystrombone, has accrued over 22,000 followers over the course of two years, making her a trombone icon on social media. We discussed her musical upbringing, social media experiences with positivity and toxicity alike, and some wonderful insight into her college application process. We hope you enjoy this episode!

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Transition music: Sonatine pour Trombone and Piano, Jacques Castérède, Sarah Goldberg

Intro/Outro music: I Will Go Sailing No More, Randy Newman, Lawson Gardner

Instagram: @8thposition @dabaldwin903 @lawson.does.trombone

We come to you this week with an interview with Mr. Andrew Shelton, an incredible pedagogue and soloist based in the greater Asheville area. We spend some time talking with him about his upbringing and time in school, what he looks for in a teacher and studio, his experience winning the ITA Larry Wehie Solo Competition, and some fun stories from his freelancing days. We hope you enjoy this episode!

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Transition music: Blue Bells of Scotland, Arthur Pryor, Joseph Alessi 2011

Intro/Outro music: I Will Go Sailing No More, Randy Newman, Lawson Gardner

Instagram: @8thposition @dabaldwin903 @lawson.does.trombone

Today we’re joined by Mr. Wesley Shores (or @westhetrombonist on Instagram and many of you may know him)! As a recent graduate of the Schwob School of Music and in the process of applying to graduate schools, college is fresh on his mind and he’s able to give some excellent insight into how it helped him grow as a trombonist and person. We dive deep into topics of motivation and self-discovery, as well as discuss lighter topics of hobbies and fun stories from childhood. (And yes we did touch on some trombone pedagogy… we couldn’t help ourselves.) We hope you enjoy this interview!

Transition music: The Christmas Song, Nat King Cole, Wesley Shores 2020

Intro/Outro music: I Will Go Sailing No More, Randy Newman, Lawson Gardner

Instagram: @8thposition @dabaldwin903 @lawson.does.trombone

Welcoming back our listeners with episode 2, talking with Mr. Evan Williams! He’s currently the Principal Trombone of the Richmond Symphony, a doctoral student at UT, and the winner of multiple competitions through the International Trombone Association. In this episode, we tackle alleviation of performance anxiety, discuss audition preparation and experiences, and consider how one can develop good habits as a freelancer. We hope this has as much of a profound impact on you as it did on us!

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Transition music: Cello Sonata in E minor op. 38, Johannes Brahms, Evan Williams & Mirim Kim 2019

Intro/Outro music: I Will Go Sailing No More, Randy Newman, Lawson Gardner

Instagram: @8thposition @dbaldwin903 @lawson.does.trombone

Kicking off the series with an interview with Mr. John Ilika, Principal Trombone of the North Carolina Symphony and trombone professor at UNC School of the Arts, where we both study with him privately. In this episode, Mr. Ilika recounts some of his early musical experiences, tells some cool stories about his time freelancing in Venezuela, and shares his strong feelings about how the pandemic has affected musicians and performers. 

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Transition music: Sonata Vox Gabrieli, Stjepan Sulek, John Ilika & Ashley Clasen 2017

Intro/Outro music: I Will Go Sailing No More, Randy Newman, Lawson Gardner

Instagram: @8thposition @dabaldwin903 @lawson.does.trombone