Bio

Trombonist Jeremy Wilson is acclaimed for the versatility and lyricism of his playing as well as his insight and commitment as a teacher.  He is Professor of Trombone at Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music and has built one of the premiere undergraduate trombone programs in the US.   A champion of new music, he has commissioned or premiered over 35 pieces for trombone since 2016, recording many of these works on his three albums, Aurora (2023), For the Beauty of the Earth (2021), and Perspectives (2018). All three of his albums have received a silver medal designation from the Global Music Awards.  He is the creator of the Body Mind Spirit Method, a holistic philosophy and set of practices that aims to help musicians prepare and perform music more effectively and build careers that are fulfilling and sustainable.

Wilson is well-known in trombone circles for the unusual way his professional career was launched.  On his first-ever orchestral audition attempt at the age of 24, he won a prestigious position with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and its sister organization, the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. He spent five seasons in Vienna, honing his performance skills as a member of two of the world’s most renowned and storied musical institutions. At the time, he was the sole American member of the orchestras, splitting his time as a “Wechselposaunist” between second trombone, first trombone, bass trumpet, and euphonium.

As all members of the Wiener Philharmoniker are also members of the Staatsoper orchestra, Wilson’s years there provided a wealth of rare experiences and opportunities that left an indelible mark on his musical, professional, and personal journey. He performed hundreds of Philharmonic concerts under the batons of the world’s leading conductors, including Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel, Mariss Jansons, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séquin, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Christian Thielemann, and Franz Welser-Möst. At the opera, he played over 550 performances of 85 different works, including five complete Wagner “Ring” cycles, and he had the honor of performing with some of the greatest opera singers of our time, including Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson, and Jonas Kaufmann. He had the honor of performing in famous concert venues in 29 countries around the globe, including Suntory Hall, the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the Royal Concertgebouw, Disney Hall, the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms, and of course the Philharmonic’s incomparable home venue, the Wiener Musikverein. His contributions are documented on numerous recordings with both orchestras between 2007-2012.

Wilson returned to his home state of Tennessee in 2012 to fulfill his long-time passion for teaching and devote more time to his young and growing family. He accepted a full-time teaching position at Vanderbilt University but continued a busy performance schedule as well.  During the 2013-14 arts season, he served as guest principal trombonist with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and subbed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed and recorded on several occasions with the Saito Kinen Orchestra at the special invitation of Maestro Seiji Ozawa, and performed concerts of famous film music under the batons of John Williams with the Nashville Symphony and Joe Hisaishi at Carnegie Hall.

In addition to his accomplishments as an orchestral player, Wilson is a highly sought-after soloist and chamber musician.  He has performed concertos across the globe with a wide range of ensembles such as the Cairo Symphony, the Cuban-American Wind Symphony, the Concert Band of San Jose (Costa Rica), and the US Army Band “Pershing’s Own”. His solo recitals have been featured and numerous national and international festivals and conferences, including the International Trombone Festival, American Trombone Workshop, Asia Brass Festival, Festival Internacional Trombones de Costa Rica, Lieksa Brass Week, and the Prague Spring Festival.   In addition to his three award-winning solo albums, Wilson is widely recognized by trombonists around the world for his Standard Repertoire Project, an ongoing YouTube series offering reference performances and practical tips on standard trombone works. Since its launch in 2018, the series has garnered hundreds of thousands of views and continues to be a vital resource for young trombonists worldwide.

As a chamber music artist, he is a member of the Blair Brass Quintet (Vanderbilt’s faculty quintet), and has recorded albums with the Aries Trombone Quartet “supergroup”, as well as a trumpet-trombone-piano trio called TRIIIOMNIA.   He has also performed with the Boston Brass, Maniacal4, Presidio Brass, Nashville Trombone Quartet, and the Tri-Star Brass, and was a member of the award-winning TF Trombone Quartet from the University of North Texas.   With his keen affinity for jazz, Wilson performs regularly with the Nashville-based Ryan Middagh Jazz Orchestra, and was previously a member of Knoxville Jazz Orchestra and the University of North Texas’s famed One O’Clock Lab Band.

Wilson is also active in the Nashville area as a freelance and studio musician, subbing regularly with the Nashville Symphony and playing on numerous video game, film, and TV soundtracks as part of Music City’s thriving recording and scoring industry. He can be heard on such diverse projects as Destiny 2, Ratchet and Clank, Call of Duty, The Last Witch Hunter, and Final Fantasy XV.

Highly respected as a dedicated teacher and clinician, Wilson has given masterclasses and lectures at dozens of universities and conservatories all over the world and has been on faculty at Lieksa Brass Week, the Czech Brass Academy, the Alessi Seminar, the Pokorny Low Brass Seminar, and a variety of other trombone festivals.  His Vanderbilt students are regularly winners and finalists for important domestic and international competitions and participate in prestigious summer festivals, and alumni of his program go on to successful careers, both in music and a variety of other paths. At Vanderbilt, Wilson is Area Coordinator of Brass and Percussion, founder/conductor of the Vanderbilt Trombone Ensemble, and founder/host of the Vanderbilt Trombone Symposium.  He has served as Vice-Chair of the Vanderbilt Faculty Senate, and is currently faculty advisor for the Pi Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia as well as the Vanderbilt Commodore Orchestra, a campus orchestra for non-music majors.  In 2017 he received the Blair School's Faculty Excellence Award.

Wilson started studying music in the sixth grade, becoming a serious student of the trombone in high school. In college, he double-majored in music education and performance at the University of Tennessee, where he was a Presser Scholar, before getting a Master of Music degree at the University of North Texas, graduating in 2011. His teachers have included Don Hough, Vern Kagarice, Jan Kagarice, Tony Baker, and Tom Lundberg.

Wilson currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife Kristi, their three children, and their dog Teddy. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking, cheering for Nashville Soccer Club, and cooking chicken and dumplings.