Brett Shuster
Biography
Brett Shuster is a Grammy® Award–winning recording artist and Professor of Trombone at the University of Louisville. His distinguished performance career includes two years of international touring with the Grammy Award–winning Chestnut Brass Company. He has also performed with leading ensembles such as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Phoenix Symphony, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Opera, and Boston Philharmonic.
Professor Shuster’s recordings appear on the Deutsche Grammophon, PolyGram, Centaur Records, Newport Classics, Albany Records, Warner, and Summit labels. With the Chestnut Brass Company, he recorded four critically acclaimed compact discs. In 2011, he released his debut solo album, Free Flying, on Albany Records. In March 2004, he was featured as a soloist with the United States Army Orchestra at the Eastern Trombone Workshop. He also presented the first complete performance of Norman Bolter’s Mountains, Lakes, and Trees with the Orquestra Sinfônica da USC, performing on alto, tenor, and bass trombone. During the 2007–2008 season, he served as Interim Principal Trombonist of the Louisville Orchestra.
An active soloist, Shuster performed at the International Trombone Festival in both 2011 and 2013. He holds degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music (B.M.), Northwestern University (M.M.), and Arizona State University (D.M.A.). Over the course of his career, he has studied with many distinguished teachers, including George Sanders, David Mathie, Norman Bolter, John Swallow, Frank Crisafulli, and Gail Eugene Wilson.
Shuster is a member of Louisville Brass, the faculty brass quintet in residence at the University of Louisville. In 2011, he received the University of Louisville Distinguished Faculty Award in recognition of his scholarship, research, and creative activity. His previous academic appointments include faculty positions at Western Illinois University and Temple University.
Degrees and Certifications
New England Conservatory of Music, 1984-1988
Northwestern University, 1992-1993
Arizona State University, 1993-2002