About the Oklahoma State University Trombone Studio

Our Studio

The Oklahoma State University Trombone Studio, under the direction of Paul Compton since 2003, has earned over 100 top honors in competitions. Studio ensembles have won the prestigious International Trombone Association Emory Remington Trombone Ensemble Competition, International Trombone Association Trombone Quartet Competition, International Trombone Association Kai Winding Competition, American Trombone Workshop National Trombone Quartet Competition, Courtois Trombone Quartet Competition, Downbeat Magazine Student Music Award for Best Classical Group, and the International Women’s Brass Conference Ginger Turner Brass Ensemble Competition.

Studio members have won the Oklahoma State University Concerto Competition thirteen times, and have also earned top honors in solo competitions sponsored by the United States Army Band, Glenn Miller Birthplace Society, Southeast Trombone Symposium, Texas State Trombone Symposium, Eastern Music Festival, Ladies Music Club of Oklahoma City, Music Teachers National Association, Chamber Music Tulsa, International Trombone Association, American Trombone Workshop, Quartz Mountain Music Festival, Wichita Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma Community Orchestra, Tulsa Rotary Club, FOOSA Festival, Big 12 Trombone Conference, Trombonanza, and Downbeat Magazine. This has resulted in studio members winning more than $100,000 in cash and prizes.

Studio members have also successfully auditioned into summer festivals such as the Texas Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, National Music Festival, Chautauqua Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, Brevard Summer Music Festival, Bar Harbor Brass Week, National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, Brevard Summer Jazz Institute, and Quartz Mountain Music Festival.

The OSU trombone studio is comprised of students majoring in Music Performance, Music Education, Music Industry and Bachelor of Arts in Music, as well as students pursuing minors in music or jazz, and non-music majors.

Our Professor

Professor Compton serves on the faculty for the Georgia Trombone Summit and has been an artist for Trombonanza in Santa Fe, Argentina seven times. He has appeared as soloist with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Municipal Band, Camerata Eleutheria Chamber Orchestra, Oklahoma State University Wind Ensemble, and Oklahoma State University Symphony Orchestra. He has premiered numerous compositions for trombone, including works by composers Joseph T. Spaniola, James Kazik, John Cheetham, and Michael Schneider. Paul is a recipient of the OSU Friends of Music Distinguished Music Professor Award, OSU Regents Distinguished Teaching Award, and the OSU College of Arts and Sciences Wise-Diggs-Berry Award for Teaching Excellence in the Arts.

Paul is an artist for Edwards Trombones and Griego Mouthpieces.

Our School of Music

The OSU Trombone Studio is part of the Greenwood School of Music, which has experienced some very exciting changes since 2019. The OSU McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, a world-class concert hall and recital hall, opened in the fall of 2019. This beautiful facility not only serves as the new performance venue for OSU students and faculty, but also hosts performances made possible by the McKnight Foundation partnering with OSU to create a $50,000,000 endowment for programming world-class guest artists.  Recent guest artists include the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra, Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Pink Martini, Tower of Power, and the Canadian Brass.  Thanks to a wonderful gift from Michael and Anne Greenwood, The OSU Greenwood School of Music facility opened in the fall of 2021. With these truly transformative changes, the future of music at OSU is incredibly exciting!

For more information, please contact Paul Compton.