Trombone & Euphonium Studio

Studying Trombone & Euphonium at Lamont

At Lamont, trombone and Euphonium students join a studio that values individuality, community, and artistic expression. Led by Prof. Richard Harris, the trombone & euphonium studio is rooted in the belief that every musician has a story to tell—and that true musical expression begins with a strong technical foundation. By mastering the fundamentals, students free themselves from technical barriers and gain the tools to communicate powerfully through their playing.

With an ideal studio size of around 8 undergraduate and 4 graduate students—typically nine tenor and three bass trombonists—Lamont offers an intimate, highly personalized learning environment. This allows for close mentorship, meaningful collaboration, and participation in undergraduate and graduate trombone quartets.

A typical week is anchored by your private lesson with Prof. Harris. The studio begins each morning with a group warmup, fostering both technical consistency and a strong sense of community. Students also participate in informal trombone choir sessions, focused on ensemble playing, intonation, and musical camaraderie. Weekly studio classes dive into solo repertoire, etudes, orchestral excerpts, and audition preparation, while brass performance class provides regular performance opportunities and feedback from the entire brass faculty. 

Outside the studio, opportunities abound. Lamont’s size allows for personalized attention and meaningful connections, while the city of Denver offers a vibrant music scene with regional orchestras, gigs, and teaching opportunities. Our students are active performers in the community and often get paid work before they even graduate.

If you’re looking for a place to grow as a musician, artist, and individual, the Lamont’s trombone and euphonium studio offers a vibrant and supportive home.

Faculty

Lamont trombone and euphonium students at Lamont study with Prof. Richard Harris, who has an eclectic career as a soloist, chamber musician and educator. He is the former Assistant Principal Trombone of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and has been a guest with many of the U.S.'s top symphony orchestras, including the Boston Symphony and the Metropolitan Opera. He has appeared on Grammy award winning albums and Oscar winning movie soundtracks. In addition to being on faculty at DU, he teaches at the Raphael Mendez Brass Institute, the Idyllwild Summer Academy and hosts his own low brass seminar "RichardTromboneCamp!" during the summers in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Life After Lamont

Notable Trombone & Euphonium Alumni

Lamont students have worked with some of the most prestigious music organizations in the world. Alumni have performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, Wolf Trap, Vancouver Symphony, Broadway, the West End, and San Francisco Opera. Lamont composers have premiered works at Carnegie Hall and the Monterey Jazz Festival, and conductors have led orchestras from Brazil to Hungary. Graduates of our Musicology and music theory programs hold posts at prestigious institutions nationwide. And our recording and production students have launched careers in Hollywood, editing soundtracks for films like Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

• 

  Mason Cooke - MM 2024

  Trombone, Broadway tours of The Book of Mormon and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

• 

  Chris Glassman - BM 2017

  Director of Jazz, Interlochen Center for the Arts