Texas A&M University-Kingsville School of Music students will represent their university and South Texas by competing as finalists in an international trombone quartet competition held by the International Trombone Association (ITA).
The Chulobones trombone quartet consists of three music education and performance majors, including Joey Guerra of Brownsville; Guillermo Navarro of Laredo, Carlos D. García of Brownsville; and A&M-Kingsville alumni Eden Garza, of Alice, who is a University of Texas graduate student.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was a group effort between the two schools. The coaches are Dr. Óscar Díaz, professor of trombone at Texas A&M-Kingsville; Dr. Megan Boutin, adjunct professor of trombone at Texas A&M-Kingsville; and Dr. Nathaniel Brickens, Professor of Trombone from UT-Austin, who gave virtual online coaching since the quartet rehearsed at the School of Music Building.
They will compete live against two other trombone quartets at the International Trombone Festival which will be held in Columbus, Georgia this July.
“It means so much to be their coach and professor,” Díaz said. “The students worked so hard despite the difficulties during the COVID pandemic. We spent long nights and hours at the music building, but it was well worth it in the end.”
Dr. Diaz said this isn’t the first time students from the A&M-Kingsville Trombone Studio have placed or won in competition categories held by the ITA, but this the first time that members from the studio will be competing as a finalist for this particular category.
“This is a huge honor from them and our school. I have judged this category a couple of times and I know how competitive this category is. All the big music schools from all over the world submit recordings of their best students. Texas A&M-Kingsville is among the best of the best in the world,” Diaz said.
Their performance can be watched on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVOYnYsZ6us&feature=youtu.be
