Vern Kagarice
Trombone
/ (940) 565-3764
Vern Kagarice has been professor of trombone at the University of North Texas and a conductor of the University of North Texas Trombone Choir since 1983. Prior to his appointment to UNT, he taught trombone at Youngstown State University (OH) for 16 years. He also served as a visiting professor of trombone at the University of Minnesota from 1994–95.
He holds a doctorate and master's degree from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree from Bethany College. He was a student of the late Thomas Beversdorf and William Bell at Indiana University and Jay Friedman of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He served as executive manager of the International Trombone Association from 1982–1999, managing editor of the International Trombone Association's Journal and Newsletter from 1978–2005, and currently serves as coordinator of the highly successful ITA Solo and Ensemble Competitions. He has co-authored two books about trombone literature—(Solos for the Student Trombonist: An Annotated Bibliography and An Annotated Guide to Trombone Solos with Band and Orchestra)—and has written numerous articles for professional journals. He is also active as arranger of music for various brass combinations.
He was principal trombonist in the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra from 1967–83 and has been a member of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra (NY) since 1979. He has also performed with the Dallas Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Dallas Opera, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Het Residentie Orkester (Den Haag, The Netherlands) and the Summit Brass. In 1982, Kagarice received a Distinguished Professor Award from Youngstown State University. He has also received the prestigious ITA Award in 1995 and the ITA President’s Award in 2005.
He has presented recitals and masterclasses at numerous American universities and music conferences, as well as guest appearances in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. He organized and hosted the first Christian Lindberg Solo Seminar held in the United States in 1994.
A long list of his former students now hold prestigious teaching and performing positions around the world. He was the conductor of UNT trombone choirs who won the prestigious Emory Remington Trombone Choir Competition in 1985, 1994 and 1999. Several of his students have been winners in national and international solo and chamber music competitions.
His publishing company, Kagarice Brass Editions, has grown to become a significant resource of trombone and brass-related materials.
