Dr. John S. Neurohr is the Assistant Professor of Trombone at Central Washington University. His duties include teaching applied trombone lessons, directing the CWU Trombone Choir, and teaching the Brass Pedagogy and Literature courses. He is also a member of the CWU Faculty Brass Quintet. In addition to his duties at CWU, Dr. Neurohr is also Principal Trombonist of the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra (WY), the Oregon East Symphony, and the Seattle Wind Symphony. During the summers, he is the Trombone Instructor (Session 2) at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan.
Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, John has been a regular substitute/extra musician with the Seattle Symphony, Spokane Symphony, Yakima Symphony, and the Wenatchee Valley Symphony, as well as having appeared on movie score soundtracks. Previous orchestral appointments include serving as principal trombonist of the Longmont Symphony Orchestra (CO), the Steamboat Springs Orchestra (CO), the Colorado Mahlerfest Orchestra, and as second trombonist of the San Juan Symphony (NM) and Berkeley Symphony Orchestra (CA). Prior to leaving the Rocky Mountain Region, John was a first call substitute musician for many of the symphony orchestras throughout the Colorado Front Range and performed regularly with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, Ft. Collins Symphony, and the Boulder Philharmonic.
As a soloist, John has performed recitals at the Colorado Music Festival, Telling Stories Concert Series, the Pendulum New Music Concert Series, and the St. Mark’s Concert Series in Medford, Oregon. As a featured soloist, he has performed with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Brass Band Northwest, Niwot-Timberline Symphony, Central Washington University Wind Ensemble, twice with the University of Colorado Wind Symphony, and once with the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra. In 2003, John was one of six finalists selected for the prestigious Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Competition, the first brass player to have advanced to the final round in the competition’s history. In 1999, he was the winner of the Young Artists Concerto Competition in Morgantown, West Virginia.
An active chamber musician, John is a founding member of the Apollo Chamber Brass, a nationally touring nonprofit arts and education corporation based in the Front Range area of Colorado. Additionally, he has also performed and commercially recorded with the California Parallélè Ensemble, and the world-renowned Summit Brass. Prior to leaving the Front Range area of Colorado, he performed regularly and toured with both the Denver Brass and Boulder Brass.
As a jazz/commercial musician, John has served as bass trombonist of Walt Disney World’s All-American College Band in Orlando, Florida and lead trombone of the Downbeat Award-winning University of Colorado Jazz Ensemble I. In addition, he performed regularly with the Legacy Jazz Orchestra, a Thad Jones tribute band based in Denver. He has performed with such notable artists as Randy Brecker, Ron Carter, Conrad Herwig, Steve Houghton, Jeff Kashiwa, Chuck Mangione, Ron McCurdy, Arturo Sandoval, Jim Snidero, Chip Stevens, and Phil Wilson.
An avid educator, John is in demand nationally as a clinician. Recent presentations of clinics, masterclasses and performances include Appalachian State University (NC), Colorado Bandmaster’s Association Workshop, Colorado State University, Northwest Brass Band Festival (WA), Seattle Trombone Workshop, Sul Ross State University (TX), the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and West Virginia University. In addition, he previously served on the faculties of the University of Colorado-Boulder, Parlando School for the Arts (CO), and the Governor’s School East of North Carolina.
John’s education includes the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trombone Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Master of Music Performance degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the Bachelor of Music Education degree, graduating summa cum laude, from West Virginia University. He received additional studies at the Aspen Music Festival and School as a Hewlett Scholarship recipient.
Throughout the course of his studies, John has been fortunate to have studied with such prominent performers and pedagogues as Mark H. Lawrence, principal trombonist (retired) of the San Francisco Symphony, Steven Witser, formerly associate principal trombonist of the Cleveland Orchestra, Michael Powell, trombonist of the American Brass Quintet, Dr. William Stanley, associate professor of trombone at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Dr. H. Keith Jackson, associate professor of trombone at West Virginia University, and the late Matthew, “Matty”, Shiner, formerly professor Emeritus at Duquesne University. John received his first musical training at the age of nine from his father, John H. Neurohr, a Wheeling, West Virginia area freelance trombonist.
Associate Professor of Trombone, Central Washington University
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