Here is a list of five (5) female trombone players that you should look out to watch if you have to enjoy the sound of the music from the trombone musical instrument.
- Abbie Conant
- Angella Wellman
- Gunhild Carling
- Monique Buzzarte
- Natalie Cressman
Female trombone players are often underrated. We’re not as common as our male counterparts, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less talented.
There are not many female trombone players.
-This is likely due to a number of factors, including the stereotype that playing the trombone is “for boys.” -The few female trombone players out there often face discrimination and sexism. -Despite these challenges, some women have managed to become successful trombone players. -We should celebrate these successes and work to break down the barriers that keep other women from becoming trombone players.
In fact, many female trombone players are highly skilled and respected musicians. We bring our own unique perspective to the instrument, and we’re proud to be part of the trombone community.
Whether you’re a female trombone player yourself or you simply appreciate our artistry, we hope you’ll enjoy this blog post celebrating some of the most talented women in the business.
1. ABBIE CONANT
Abbie Conant was born in March 14, 1955. The American trombone player featured in an ensemble–the Interlochen ensemble at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C in 1972. Afterwards, Abbie Conant earned herself a diploma from Interlochen Arts Academy in 1973 before attending college at the University of Mexico. She professionally began her career in 1980, it was in the same year that Abbie Conant was selected as the first choice in a blind audition for the principal trombone player of the Munich Philharmonic orchestra.
Her selection at the time was debated when the committee in charge of the selection realized Abbie Conant was a woman—it was a sex based discrimination; she sued the team in 1988 and regained her position. Later on, Abbie Conant earned herself another degree in contemporary music at L’Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and by 19992 Abbie Conant became a trombone professor at Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Trossingen. Abbie Conant was not just any kind of trombone player, she was the trombonist who made records and threaded on new grounds; like being the first trombonist in the orchestra of Royal Opera in Turin.
Conant is married to William Osborne, a composer who is not only her husband, but also her partner in the production of the “chamber music theatre” and the company is called Wasteland. Following her ordeal with the Munich Philharmonic Abbie Conant became an activist which is reflected in her works, like the theatrical work “Miriam” which narrated the ordeal. They have at least twelve works, and the theme of most of their works is feminist, the message of her activism.
2. ANGELA WELLMAN
Angela Wellman is an award winning musician that plays the trombone in jazz ensembles. Her career in music has been a very successful one and is still successful, sometimes it is attributed by fans to her gene because Angela Wellman was born by musicians too—that is not why she is a great trombonist.
Angela Wellman earned her first degree (undergraduate degree) in Kansas City from the Conservatory of music there, her hometown around 1983. By 1997, Angela Wellman obtained an advanced degree (graduate degree) from the Eastman school of music in Rochester. By 2008 and 2019, Angela Wellman was a Doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Angela Wellman is a black art activist and a scholar that interprets her reality through her works. She founded Music Is Extraordinary Inc. in 2001 at Oakland, California where she lives. At Music Is Extraordinary, music is in a mix by creating teaching and learning experiences in music education.
Growing through experiences while be guided by zeal and passion for her work, Angela Wellman by 2005 founded Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. Angela became an instructor of the general music methods at the university of Wisconsin-Madison by 2010 where she taught general music for three years.
As an art activist, Angela Wellman is advocating for a black culture centric institution so that black artists can express their arts fully. Sometime in 2021, Wellman visited VillaSF where she’s writing an essay on the effect of slavery on the music of the blacks. She has spent the time there connecting with black musicians in diaspora and beyond being a great instrumentalist, a scholar, and an activist, the female trombone player Angela Wellman consciously plants her prints in the sands of time through the music world.
3. GUNHILD CARLING
Gunhild Carling is a Swedish singer, dancer, song writer, Jazz musician, and a multi-instrumentalist, famously known for her skillful trombone plays. Gunhild Carling was born by Hans Carling and Aina Carling who were both Jazz musicians at Gothenberg Sweden on May 5, 1975. She became famous in July 20, 2010 after her performance at Allsang Pa Skansen, still in 2010 Gunhild started a career as a professional commentator for SVT at Dansbandskampen.
Gunhild can play two instruments at the same time, like the trumpet and the cello; she has also featured in different orchestras and in various choirs as a guest musician all by herself. Gunhild enjoys doing music and creatively expresses herself while doing music.
Gunhild and her family travel the world doing music, apart from the instrumentals, Gunhild Carling family also know the art of acrobatic stunts and perform them during some of their shows. So besides performing in shows alone, she performs with her family, and they have made a lot of music that are now on the Spotify app.
It is amazing to know that Gunhild Carling has never been professionally taught music by any music instructor; she learnt to make music by participating in music with her family. She is married to Johan Blome and they have two children.
4. MONIQUE BUZZARTE
Monique was born on August 26, 1960 earned her BA and her BMus from the University of Washington, she also got her MMus from the Mahattan school of music. Monique is a trombone player, a composer, a music scholar and an activist. Her qualifications also certify her to teach “Deep listening practices”, a work of Pauline Oliveros and by 2012 she co-edited the anthology of essays on deep listening practices.
She led the protest against gender based discrimination in Vienna Philharmonic; the success of the protest resulted in women being admitted as members of the Vienna Philharmonic in 1977, and finding brass compositions for women composers is part of her research interest.
5. NATALIE CRESSMAN
Natalie is an American songwriter, singer, and a modern trombone player. She was born in San Francisco by Sandy and Jeff Cressman who were both profession jazz musicians in their days. Natalie began her career in music in 2010 after she travelled to study in Manhattan school of music. She has since then performed in a lot of music bands. In 2012 she performed the Apollo theatre by herself in Wycliffe Gordon’s jazz which was the beginning of her solo performances. Asides performing with others, Natalie is the founder of the Secret Garden band.
Conclusion
Although there are still relatively few women playing the trombone, this number is gradually growing. As more and more women take up the instrument, we can expect to see even greater achievements from female trombonists in the future. We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about these talented ladies as much as we have!
Thank you for reading!
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