NCB Trombone Master Class with Megumi Kanda
Pictured: Megumi Kanda, Bryan Tipps, Karen Mari, Alec Fenne, Ken Preuss, Bradley Say, Gregory Glover, Joseph Shorer, Paul Bauer, and Dan DiCesare.
On Sunday, January 7, 2024, the NCB trombones held their seventh annual master class at Loyola Academy on the main theater stage. Leading the master class was Megumi Kanda, principal trombone for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra since 2002.
An internationally acclaimed performer, teacher, and author, Megumi Kanda has performed as a soloist across the United States, Europe, and Asia, including with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Pershing’s Own Army Band, the United States Army Field Band, and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. She has commissioned and premiered works of numerous composers, including those of Amy Riebs Mills, Bruce Stark, and Geoffrey Gordon. She has been a featured guest artist at numerous trombone workshops and festivals, including the International Trombone Festival and the American Trombone Workshop.
Ms. Kanda has appeared as guest faculty at numerous music institutions, including the New World Symphony, National Youth Orchestra, and Interlochen Arts Academy, and has given master classes and recitals at many colleges and conservatories across the US and Japan.
Ms. Kanda opened the master class with a short unaccompanied solo for trombone written by Leonard Bernstein. She then worked the NCB trombones through exercises she created to build strong, fast, relaxed, warm breath — the keys to good brass sound. She coached the section as they played trombone choir pieces and critiqued a trombone trio played by NCB members Dan DiCesare, Karen Mari, and Ken Preuss. Throughout the master class, Ms. Kanda fielded questions with humor, insight, and clarity.
Learn more about Megumi Kanda’s stellar professional accomplishments and her powerful personal story here.