Join us for an afternoon of top-tier S.E. Shires trombone artistry, featuring a trombone quartet recital and tech overdubbing masterclass. We’ll have plenty of shiny new S.E. Shires instruments on-hand for trial and testing. Admission is free, but space is limited!
Performance & Masterclass
James Nova joined the Grammy award-winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 2009 as second/utility trombone. In 2012, Nova made his solo debut with the PSO, performing Henri Tomasi’s Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra. Prior to that, he was a member of the Utah Symphony Orchestra where he served eight seasons as assistant principal/second trombone.
Since 2012, James Nova has found a new passion in multitrack recording, also known as “overdubbing.” Overdubbing is a process by which a musician records all the parts of a piece of music one by one and layers the recordings on top of each other to create a full ensemble. Nova has released dozens of stunning and virtuosic tracks of his own challenging arrangements of exciting repertoire for trombone choir. The arrangements employ many different trombones: contra bass, bass, tenor, small tenor, alto, and even soprano trombones!
James Nova has had a lifelong love of John Williams’ film scores and in December of 2017, he released a new overdub album for trombone choir, A Fall from Light to Dark. Through the chosen moments of John Williams’ masterful scores, this album musically chronicles the rise and descent of Anakin Skywalker as he transforms into Darth Vader. Truly a one-man show, this album’s transcriptions, playing, recording, editing, mixing and mastering were all done by Nova himself.
James Nova has always been passionate about music education. When not on stage at Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony, he can be found at the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University where he is brass coordinator and adjunct trombone faculty, as well as the brass coach of the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras. Given their widespread popularity, Nova’s recordings are playing an impactful role in inspiring the next generation of musicians and budding recording artists and he is frequently invited to teach outside the region. Since 2012, he has completed more than 82 visits to prominent festivals (such as the International Trombone Festival, American Trombone Workshop, and the Korea Trombone Festival, among others) and reputable educational institutions (such as the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School of Music, and New England Conservatory, among others) as the featured artist and educator in concerts, masterclasses, and clinics.
James Nova studied with Glenn Dodson at the Curtis Institute of Music followed by study with Norman Bolter at the New England Conservatory of Music. While in Boston, Nova played regularly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra, including recordings and television broadcasts as both principal and second trombone.
James Nova is an S.E. Shires Artist and performs on his signature line of Greg Black Mouthpieces.
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Considered one of the finest trombonists of his generation, Tony Baker is currently a faculty member at the University of North Texas College of Music. Previously, Mr. Baker served as assistant professor of trombone at Ohio University and as visiting assistant professor of trombone and euphonium at Kent State University. A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, he is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota and the University of Central Arkansas. Mr. Baker’s professional experience is as varied as it is substantial. Currently a member of the Dallas Opera Orchestra, he has performed with ensembles such as the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, and the Dallas, Richardson, Columbus, Akron, Arkansas, and Duluth-Superior symphony orchestras.
As a soloist, Mr. Baker has established an international reputation. Mr. Baker was a soloist at the 2007 International Trombone Festival in Birmingham, UK and was a guest recitalist that same year at the Wey Valley International Concert Series in Weymouth, UK. In 2000 Mr. Baker was a soloist at the Grindavik Cultural Festival in Iceland, an event held in conjunction with the Reykjavik Cultural Festival. He was also a soloist at the 2000 Festival International D’Art Lyrique, held in Aix-en-Provence, France. This is an annual music festival hosted by the Academie Européenne de Musique in conjunction with the Ensemble Intercontemporain. Ensembles with which Mr. Baker has performed as a soloist include the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, Ohio Valley Symphony, University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, Ohio University Wind Ensemble, University of Central Arkansas Wind Ensemble, trombone choirs of the University of North Texas, University of Central Arkansas and Morehead State University (KY), University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Wind Symphony, and Ouachita Baptist University Wind Ensemble (AR). Mr. Baker has given guest recitals and/or master classes at schools such as the Federal University of São João (Brazil), Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK, Trinity College of Music in London, University of Arkansas, Humboldt State University (CA), Oberlin Conservatory of Music, University of Kentucky, University of Central Arkansas, Murray State University (KY), University of Texas at San Antonio, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Ohio State University, Ohio University, and Ouachita Baptist University. In February 1996, Professor Baker was invited to perform Luciano Berio’sSequenza V at the 1996 Music of Luciano Berio Symposium at the University of North Texas. He was also one of eight invited participants at the 1994 Christian Lindberg Solo Workshop. He has appeared as a clinician and performer at the 1998 University of Illinois Trombone Camp, the 1998 International Tuba/Euphonium Conference and at the 2003 regional International Tuba/Euphonium Conference. In 2001 Baker was a guest artist at the International Trombone Festival in Nashville, Tennessee and was a guest clinician at the 2003 International Trombone Festival in Helsinki, Finland. In May 2002, Mr. Baker hosted the 2002 International Trombone Festival at the University of North Texas. This festival has been widely recognized as the largest and most successful in the history of this event.
Mr. Baker’s chamber music experience includes past memberships of the Kent Brass Quintet and OhioBrass, of which he was a founding member. He was also a member of the Appalachian Trombone Quartet. Mr. Baker performed with this ensemble on two tours of the Midwestern United States and on a 2001 tour of the United Kingdom. Mr. Baker currently is a member of the University of North Texas Faculty Brass.
As a jazz musician Mr. Baker has performed with groups such as the Woody Herman Band and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. He has also performed on stage with such artists as Wynton Marsalis, Steve Turre, Terry Gibbs, John Fedchock, Chris Vadala, and Jiggs Whigham. As a jazz clinician, Mr. Baker is on the faculty of summer jazz workshops at the University of North Texas and Northwest College in Cody, Wyoming. Mr. Baker is a regular faculty member of the University of North Texas Trumpet and Trombone Workshop, University of North Texas Combo Workshop, and Yellowstone Jazz Camps. He was also a guest artist at the 2002 Redbud Jazz Festival and the 1999 Capital University Jazz Week. Mr. Baker served as the All-State Conductor of the 2004-2005 Minnesota All-State Jazz Ensemble. Mr. Baker has recorded with the Sounds of Blackness and can be heard with this group on their Grammy-nominated compact disc, Time for Healing. From October 1997 to April 2000 Baker was lead trombonist of the Columbus-based professional big band Jazz-to-Go. The recipient of many prizes and awards, Mr. Baker’s honors include a first place in Brass Performance in the 1991 Music Teachers National Association Wurlitzer Collegiate Artist National Competition.
Dr. Megan Boutin is the Assistant Professor of Music in Trombone at East Texas A&M University. She has performed, presented, and adjudicated at conferences and festivals including the International Trombone Festival, American Trombone Workshop, Midwest Clinic, International Women’s Brass Conference, Big 12 Trombone Conference, and the Tourbon Festival (Chile). An active performer and soloist, she is the winner of the 2019 International Women’s Brass Conference Tenor Trombone Category II solo division, and has also performed as a guest soloist at the Midwest Clinic. Dr. Boutin has held the position of principal trombone with the Temple Symphony Orchestra, and the Tri-Cities Opera Company Orchestra (Binghamton, NY), and she has performed with ensembles including the Dallas Symphony, Dallas Opera, Dallas Winds, Buffalo Philharmonic, the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Lyric Opera, and Boston Brass.
As an educator she has been a featured guest artist for conferences as well as presented masterclasses and performed at universities throughout the United States. She served as a coach to the International Trombone Association’s Quartet Competition 2021 winners, and has had students place as finalists in the International Trombone Association’s annual competitions. An advocate for diversity and inclusion in music, Dr. Boutin is a member of the International Women’s Brass Conference and serves as a mentor with the IWBC mentorship program. She recorded Golden Trees, by Yukiko Nishimura, for the project Winds of Change: 12 Progressive Solos for Trombone from Diversify the Stand, which was published and released in 2022. Dr. Boutin is also a member of the International Trombone Association, serving as an Advisor for the ITA Student Council.
Dr. Boutin holds degrees in Music Education from Ithaca College (B.M., Music Education), the Eastman School of Music (M.M.) and the University of Texas at Austin (D.M.A.). Principal teachers include Dr. Harold Reynolds, Mark Kellogg, Dr. John Marcellus, and Dr. Nathaniel Brickens. She grew up in Brunswick, Maine, and loves returning to the state to visit beaches, hike, and carriage drive with her horse. Dr. Boutin is an S.E. Shires and Greg Black Artist.
Justin Cook joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma in the fall of 2025. Prior to OU, Dr. Cook was the Associate professor of Trombone at the University of Central Arkansas where he taught studio trombone, trombone choir, brass ensembles, low brass methods, and directed the Jazz Repertory Ensemble. In addition to his college teaching, Justin has been a faculty member for the Southeast Trombone Symposium and is the Festival Manager for the International Trombone Festival. In the summer of 2022 Dr. Cook hosted the International Trombone Festival at the University of Central Arkansas.
Recently, Justin has been featured as a soloist with the Natural State Brass Band at the 2022 International Trombone Festival and performed David Biedenbender’s Their Eyes are Fireflies with the UCA Wind Ensemble in April of 2023. He has performed as a soloist at the 2021, 2022, and 2024 International Trombone Festivals. His first solo recording was released in 2018 and is entitled, “Connections.” As a freelancer, Dr. Cook has performed with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas Symphony, the Ft. Smith Symphony, the Tulsa Symphony, and The Arkansas Repertory Theatre. He has performed on the national tours of Mary Poppins, The Book of Mormon, Wicked, and Back to the Future.
Equally at home as an educator and performer, Dr. Cook’s trombone studio and students have seen tremendous success. While at UCA, the trombone studio tripled in size and featured three trombone choirs: The BearBones Trombone Choir, the Natural Slides Trombone Ensemble and the Jazz Bones. The trombone choirs performed at the American Trombone Workshop, the 2018, 2021, and 2024 International Trombone Festivals at the University of Iowa, Columbus State University, and Texas Christian University and were featured performers at the 2018 Midwest Clinic in Chicago, IL. The UCA Trombone Ensembles performed a featured concert as the host of the 2022 International Trombone Festival. In May of 2023, the Natural Slides Trombone Ensemble recorded their first album entitled, “Sempre Avanti” which was released in the spring of 2024. Dr. Cook’s students have been finalists and winners of the American Trombone Workshop Solo Competitions, the Big 12 Solo Competitions, the International Women’s Brass Conference Solo competitions and the Southeast Trombone Symposium’s Solo Trombone Competition. They have graduated and been accepted to some of the world’s most prestigious universities and conservatories. Dr. Cook has presented clinics and masterclasses at universities all across the United States and in 2019, presented a session on brass pedagogy at the Midwest Clinic.
Justin Cook holds a Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Trombone Performance degree from Northern Arizona University, a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from Northern Arizona University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas. He has studied with Tony Baker, David Vining, Vern Kagarice, and Peter Vivona. During the summer of 2005 Justin was a member of the Disneyland All-American College Band and in 2009, Dr. Cook was chosen as one of 18 international tenor trombonists to attend the Alessi Seminar where he had the opportunity to work with Joseph Alessi and Peter Ellefson.
Justin Cook is a S.E. Shires performing artist and Greg Black performing artist and performs exclusively on Shires trombones and Greg Black Mouthpieces.
