Paul Welcomer

(He/Him)
Paul Welcomer

Paul Welcomer.

Contact

Office 608

Departments

Trombone
Brass Choir

Courses Taught

Applied Lessons

Brass Choir

Education

MM, New England Conservatory

BM, Eastman School of Music

Ensembles

San Francisco Symphony, 1993-Present

The Bay Brass, Founding Member

Awards and Distinctions

Nominated, Grammy for Best Small Ensemble Performance, 2011

Distinguished Alumni

Sam Elliot - Utah Symphony

Felix Regalado - Minnesota Orchestra Fellow

Gabe Cruz - acting member Hawaii Symphony Orchestra

Q&A

What is your hometown?

West Chester, PA

What is your favorite recording?

Hindemith: Mathis der Maler, San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt

What are you passionate about outside of music?

My family, genealogy, and home brewing (beer).

Who were your major teachers?

John Swallow, John Marcellus, and Steve Norrell.

What is a favorite quote that you repeatedly tell students?

“Music is a team sport — listen to each other!”

What was the defining moment when you decided to pursue music as a career?

I knew I loved music by middle school — band was always my favorite subject. I knew I wanted a life in music by high school, although I had no idea what that would mean or look like. I knew I wanted to be an orchestral player during my summer at Chautauqua playing in the student orchestra there.

What was a turning point in your career?

Getting into the Tanglewood Summer Festival after Eastman. The level was tremendously high and the music making was inspirational. I even got to play under Leonard Bernstein once. I made contacts that allowed me to freelance in Boston during my master’s degree study, and really put my career on its way.

If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?

Bach, Schumann, and Mahler.

What are your most important collaborations?

Playing and recording the Mahler cycle with MTT, playing Sibelius/Hindemith/Nielsen and recording Sibelius with Herbert Blomstedt, and recording the Keeping Score videos with MTT.

Who are three students you have had the privilege of teaching?

Gabe Cruz, Matt Allison, and Sam Elliot.

What are your academic publications?

Trombonology

What recordings can we hear you on?

The Mahler Project, SFS Media
Sound the Bells!, Harmonia Mundi
A Brass & Organ Christmas, Gothic
Keeping Score, SFS Media