Lamont Alumni Profile: Chris Glassman

From Band Kid to Big Band Leader: The Journey of Trombonist Chris Glassman

When Chris Glassman (BM ’17) picked up a trombone at Dakota Ridge High School in Littleton, Colorado, he didn’t imagine that the instrument would take him around the world: touring with Michael Bublé, recording albums in New York City, and now shaping the next generation of musicians at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Music was always in the family. His dad was a drummer, and both of his brothers played in the school band; his brother Joey even studied percussion at DU. “We overlapped one year at Lamont,” Chris remembers. “It was fun having both of us there, playing and learning.”

When he arrived at the University of Denver in 2013, Chris’s dream was clear: become a studio trombonist in Los Angeles, recording for films and video games. At the time, he was strictly a tenor trombonist, but that changed when trumpet professor Al Hood invited him to try bass trombone in his big band.

“At first it was just reading charts in a smaller rehearsal group Al threw together,” he says. “But I fell in love with the bass trombone. I thought, This is the best instrument. What have I been doing playing tenor trombone?” Soon he was playing bass trombone not only in big band, but also in the symphony and wind ensemble. It became his entry point into jazz, and ultimately, his calling.

Chris thrived at Lamont. “I practiced all the time. Four to six hours a day, mostly fundamentals, until I hated it—and then learned to love it. And second, I had such a range of opportunity: symphony, wind ensemble, jazz combos, classical theory, jazz improv, even classes in piano and math. It was a sampler platter for all things music, and it got me so excited.”

He credits many of his teachers with shaping him: ear training with Jonathan Leathwood, jazz improvisation with Eric Gunnison and Lynn Baker, trombone with Joe Martin, brass methods with Warren Deck, and Alexander Technique with Heidi Brende Leathwood.

As the end of his Lamont degree approached, Chris set his sights on graduate school. He auditioned at schools in Los Angeles, but quickly realized the scene wasn’t the right fit for him. Instead, he turned to Michigan State University, studying jazz trombone under Michael Dease on a full teaching assistantship. There, he became one of the few musicians to complete a master’s in jazz on bass trombone—and Dease continues to be his greatest mentor.

From Michigan, Chris began performing in New York, recording his first jazz album and freelancing while teaching in Detroit. Then, in 2022, opportunity came calling in a big way: touring with Michael Bublé.

Remarkably, he got the gig without even auditioning. “They had seen videos of me playing on social media and called me. They said, ‘We like your playing. Want to join us?’” Chris recalls. “It started as a trial run and turned into a full tour.”

That tour took him across the United States, Canada, the UK, and South America, performing in arenas with a full big band—a rarity in today’s touring world. “Michael was really nice. A really cool cat,” Chris says. “Every night was like playing a Broadway show, with set cues and the occasional audible where he’d throw in a solo. Touring with 20 musicians and picking up 20 strings in each city…it was amazing.” They even made a tour stop in Madison Square Garden, a career highlight for Chris.

But life on the road wasn’t easy. “Touring is in a lot of ways like Groundhog Day—the fun ways and the challenging ways,” Chris says. “Wake up at 12:30 p.m., soundcheck, dinner, the show, load the bus at midnight, and drive overnight. It wears on you.” Freshly married, he found the hardest part was being away from home. “The one thing I’m most grateful for now is not touring anymore,” he admits.

In 2023, just as he and his wife had moved back to Denver, Chris got a call about a position opening at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. Within a whirlwind week of interviews, he was hired as Director of Jazz Studies for both the academy and the summer program.

Now settled in Michigan again, Chris is building a program that reflects his passion for teaching. “My biggest goal is to have the greatest impact possible on the next generation of musicians,” he says. “I was really inspired by Rodney Whitaker, who taught me the phrase ‘Each One Teach One.’ If you have knowledge, it’s your responsibility to pass it on.”

At Interlochen, he directs ensembles, mentors young musicians, and even runs a community big band in Traverse City at the Alluvion, a cooperative arts space. He’s also composing and arranging more than ever, with two upcoming jazz combo albums in the works.

Despite the challenges of building a music career, Chris is pragmatic. “There are musicians who have done side jobs, and there are liars,” he says with a grin. “I worked plenty of day jobs. They were always a means to an end. But those jobs reminded me that I hated everything else. So I better do this music thing.”

For Chris, music is not just a profession but a way of experiencing life. “Music embodies the human experience so completely: joy, sorrow, struggle, love, loss,” he reflects. “It teaches you about yourself, and about how to navigate a complicated world.”

From his early days as a band kid in Littleton to the global stage with Michael Bublé, and now to his role inspiring the next generation, Chris Glassman’s journey is one of adaptability, dedication, and passion. “As trombonists, we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” he says. “Throw us in a chair, and we’ll play. But at the heart of it, we’re here to pass it on—to play more, and inspire students.”

Follow Chris’s work on YouTube at @Brassglassman and on Instagram @brassglassman.