Andrew Trachsel

Courses Taught, Syllabi and Curriculum Vitae

For nearly three decades, Andrew Trachsel has returned to a single idea in his conducting, teaching, and writing: that a conductor's role is fundamentally one of service—to the music, to the musicians, and to the listener. That conviction runs through the repertoire he chooses, the students he teaches, and the collaborations he builds.

Trachsel is Director of Wind Studies and the conductor of the North Texas Wind Symphony at the University of North Texas College of Music. Prior to his current role, he served as Chair of the Division of Conducting and Ensembles and conductor of the Wind Orchestra. As Professor of Wind Studies at UNT, Trachsel oversees the graduate wind conducting program and one of the largest comprehensive collegiate wind band programs in the world.

Since arriving at UNT, Trachsel has led more than sixty world, American, and consortium premieres, including James David’s Symphony No. 2 “The Road is Life,” and works by Joseph Turrin, Nancy Galbraith, Bruce Broughton, Julie Giroux, James Stephenson, Quinn Mason, and Jake Runestad. Over two decades he has premiered, commissioned, or co-commissioned more than 120 hundred new works in total, and has collaborated with and drawn acclaim from composers and performers including Mason Bates, David Biedenbender, Dave Malloy, Mark Phillips, Bramwell Tovey, Dana Wilson, the Barcelona Clarinet Players, Canadian Brass, Third Coast Percussion, and Seraph Brass, among many others. He has conducted ensembles at the College Band Directors National Association National Conference as well as the Southwestern and North Central division conferences, the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, the Ohio Music Education Association Annual Conference, the Midwest Clinic, and in Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, and Puerto Rico. Drawn to interdisciplinary programming, he founded the Ampersand festival to explore genuine collaboration between the wind band and other musical genres, art forms, and disciplines.

A parallel commitment runs through Trachsel’s editorial and publishing work. After fifteen years as coordinator of research associates and a contributor to eleven volumes, he was named series editor of GIA Publications’ Teaching Music through Performance in Band in 2019, and with Eugene Migliaro Corporon co-created the accompanying Video Rehearsal Series. His transcription of Robert Moran’s Points of Departure is published by Charlotte Benson Music, and his critical edition of Gordon Jacob’s William Byrd Suite was recorded by the North Texas Wind Symphony. His broader discography, built through conducting, producing, and editing roles, includes releases on GIA WindWorks, GIA Composer’s Collection, Mark Custom Records, and Toccata Classics, with multiple GRAMMY Entry List appearances.

Collaboration extends beyond UNT to the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, where Trachsel served as the inaugural season’s Assistant Conductor and now serves as music director and conductor of the Lone Star Youth Winds. There, seven years of composer-in-residence programs—with Julie Giroux, Frank Ticheli, John Mackey, Omar Thomas, Quinn Mason, James David, and Katahj Copley among others—have culminated in performances at Carnegie Hall and the Meyerson Symphony Center. He also coordinates, alongside his colleagues, the North Texas Conductors Collegium and currently serves as President of the Southwestern Division of the College Band Directors National Association.

Before coming to UNT, Trachsel spent eleven years as Director of Bands at Ohio University, where he led the Wind Symphony’s performances at Carnegie Hall, in Ireland and Rome, and at CBDNA’s North Central Division conference, and oversaw the release of three commercial albums on the Mark Masters label. His first collegiate appointment was at the University of Georgia. A native of Iowa, he taught high school band for four years in the Des Moines metro area after earning the Bachelor of Music Education from Drake University. A product of the program he now leads, Trachsel earned the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in wind conducting from the University of North Texas, where he studied with Eugene Migliaro Corporon and Dennis Fisher.

NORTH TEXAS WIND SYMPHONY

Internationally acknowledged as one of the premier ensembles of its kind, the Latin Grammy-nominated North Texas Wind Symphony is selected from the most outstanding musicians attending the College of Music. Artistically we hope to live and thrive right where Legacy and Tradition meet Innovation and Progress.

The Wind Symphony has been highly acclaimed for “wonderful and artistically rendered performances which are elegant and polished,” and complimented for “terrific ensemble skills which embody a high degree of integrity and sensitivity.”

They have been praised for “stunning and inspirational recordings,” and for being an ensemble whose “enriching performances demonstrate their sheer joy of musicking.” Known for “admirable and adventurous programming, which personifies diversity and originality,” the group pursues a relentless commitment to American music. They have been called “an ensemble which is simply sensational, full of bristling energy, made up of players with a headlong, in-your-face virtuosity who play with an irresistible intensity and dynamism that makes you want to leap out of your chair applauding at the Coda.” The North Texas Wind Symphony pursues the highest professional standards and is determined to bring its audiences the finest artistic repertoire from all musical periods, cultures, and styles.