Title/Position: Lecturer, Trombone
Profile:What would you say are the outstanding highlights of your professional life?
Any nights that I have sat onstage performing a Mahler symphony
Playing chamber music for President Bill and Hillary Clinton
Sharing the stage with some of the world’s finest singers and conductors
Commissioning the David Maslanka Trombone Concerto
Experiencing the deep sense of camaraderie and respect amongst fellow musicians
What do you hope to pass on to your students?
A much better understanding of the trombone to help them develop their playing potential
A burning love for music, and a respect for the process of putting it together
The rewards of discipline and hard work; the ability to take big and small steps to achieve their goals
That music is just one of many endeavors that can bring out the best in people, and can inspire us to greater things
How were you influenced by your teachers?
In addition to the technical work of becoming a better trombone player, I have always tried to keep my passion for music going strong, and to believe that the technical requirements of the instrument are to serve the greater musical goals and purpose. My teachers always seemed to “raise the bar” for me as a player, while always stressing the need to be a better musician. And they were always true gentlemen.
During his orchestral career Tim Conner has performed with the
Spoleto Orchestra
Chautauqua Orchestra
Heidelberg Orchestra
Bedford Springs Festival Orchestra
Naples Philharmonic
Jerusalem Symphony
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich
During his career, he has
performed chamber music for President and Mrs. Clinton
appeared live on the CBS Morning Show, and on
NPR radio broadcasts
Tim has recorded on labels such as
Mark
Albany
Mercury
Harmonia Mundi
Naxos
He played at home plate for the Florida Marlins 1997 World Series baseball games, and for the Miami Heat. Tim has been featured several times as a concerto soloist with the Florida Philharmonic, and he has performed numerous solo recitals in several U.S. cities. Most recently, he presented a solo recital in New York City as part of the River to River Festival “Summer Stars” series.
Tim Conner grew up in the Washington, D.C. area where he studied with Milt Stevens of the National Symphony Orchestra. He received his formal musical education at the Eastman School of Music with John Marcellus. He held the position of Principal Trombone with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra for eighteen years, until the orchestra’s financial demise in 2003.
Prof. Conner joined the faculty of the University of Miami in 1995, and began teaching full time at its Frost School of Music in 2004. In addition to teaching individual studio lessons, he conducts the Frost Trombone Choir, coaches chamber music, and teaches courses in trombone pedagogy and literature and he is a member of the South Florida Musician’s Association, the International Trombone Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
