Freshman trombonist Kell Malmgren is off to a great start at SFCM, winning the American Trombone Workshop's Division 1 National Solo Competition (tenor trombone), and seeing a piece he composed get its world premiere.

The National Trombone Workshop is held by the United States Army Band, aka "Pershing's Own," which already has SFCM representation in '24 trombone grad Nate Berry, who won the job the same year he graduated.

Malmgren's private teacher, Paul Welcomer, says, "Mikael is that rare student who had great training in high school and also has a deep passion for music. We've already had some very intense and interesting conversations about performing, listening, and the place of music in one's life. I'm looking forward to a really rewarding journey with him as he goes through the Conservatory!"

"I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a professional trombone player," Malmgren says. "I added SFCM to a large list of schools I was interested in, and by the time I was writing all the essays and applying, it had become my top choice. The small class, the small classroom environment, the really individualized instruction, and the level of ensemble playing here really attracted me to the school. When I had my first visit as an admitted student and saw the city, I just absolutely fell in love with this place, and I practically begged my parents to let me come here."

Mikael Malmgren (Credit: Alexander Rogge).

Malmgren took a trial lesson with Welcomer and says the two of them hit it off right away. "I was really impressed by how immediately he'd diagnose the issue with any problem I was having," he explains. "I really like his approach to teaching: He'll get me to play in a different way without making me think too much about the specific details that might make me freeze up. He was also willing to work with me on some fundamental technical aspects of my playing that I never got to fix properly."

Malmgren was initially just happy to find out he was selected. "I found out months later I was first alternate for the competition, and at that point at least that was good enough for me," he says. "I was like, 'This is the highest position I can get without having to plan a trip.'" (Funnily enough, he shares a birthday with the composer of Sinfonia in F for Trombone & Piano, Giovanni Pergolesi.)

Obviously, Malmgren advanced from first alternate and flew in the night prior to the competition, having secured an AirBnB within walking distance from the military base. The timing, however, was a little rough, he says. "My performance time was noon, so internally, that's 9:00 am, and then I woke up at 6:00 am East Coast time, which felt like 3:00 am to me."

"I spent the morning there in a practice room really just doing basics to build resonance and match center on all my notes, really lock everything in," Malmgren says. "I couldn't really learn the piece anymore, that day. I was so nervous leading up to it, but something about getting onstage and playing my first note … those nerves went away and it was just about the music. After that I was able to have a lot of fun playing for the judges, just trying to show them exactly what I could do with the piece."

Learn more about studying brass or trombone at SFCM.