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 30 pieces for trombone since 2016, recording many of these works on his three albums, Aurora (2023), Perspectives (2018) and For the Beauty of the Earth (2021). 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 process that aims to help musicians prepare and perform music more effectively and build careers that are fulfilling and sustainable through online videos and intensive workshops.

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. Just out of college, he honed his performance skills in Vienna as a member of two of the most renowned musical organizations in the world.  At the time, he was the orchestras’ only American full-time member, splitting his time as a “Wechselposaunist” between second trombone, first trombone, euphonium, and bass trumpet.

During his 5 seasons in Vienna (2007-2012), Wilson performed hundreds of orchestral concerts in Austria and in 28 countries around the globe under the batons of the world’s leading conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Christian Thielemann, and Franz Welser-Möst. At the Vienna State Opera, he played over 550 performances of 85 different operas and ballets, including five complete Wagner “Ring” cycles. He had the honor of performing with some of the greatest opera singers of our time, including Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson, and Jonas Kaufmann, and his artistry is documented on numerous recordings.

A native of Tennessee, Wilson returned to his home state  in 2012 to fulfill his long-time passion for teaching and devote more time to his young 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 versatility as an orchestral player, Wilson is highly sought as a soloist and chamber musician.  He has been featured in concerto performances and recitals in venues across the country and abroad, 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 solo albums, he is well-known across the globe for his Standard Repertoire Project, an ongoing YouTube series of performance and “tips” videos of standard trombone works that has garnered hundreds of thousands of views since it began in 2018 and serves as an immense resource for young trombonists.

As a chamber 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 is a member of the Ryan Middagh Jazz Orchestra, based in Nashville, and was previously a member of the University of North Texas’s famed One O’Clock Lab Band, the University of Tennessee’s award-winning ensemble Tennessee Trombonery, and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra.

Highly respected as a dedicated teacher and clinician, Wilson has given masterclasses and lectures at universities and conservatories all over the world and has been on faculty at the Alessi Seminar, the Pokorny Low Brass Seminar, and a variety of trombone festivals.  His Vanderbilt students have been winners and finalists for several domestic and international competitions and have participated in many prestigious summer festivals.  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 recently served as Vice-Chair of the Vanderbilt Faculty Senate, is currently faculty advisor for the Pi Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia as well as the Commodore Orchestra, a VU 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.