News

New Trombone Faculty for North Texas


With the recent passing of Vern Kagarice and departure of Jan Kagarice from the University of North Texas, the trombone studio had some very big shoes to fill to maintain the legendary tradition as one of the largest trombone studios in the world.

This past spring, the university hired two trombonists that are well-versed in performance and education. Natalie Mannix, a former US Navy Band trombonist, will be one of the teachers. Dr. Mannix previously taught at Towson University in Maryland and is in high demand as a soloist and educator. Her solo debut recording is expected to come out in September 2016. The other new faculty member is Steven Menard, who previously taught at Louisiana State University. Steven has performed and recorded with many orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, and the San Diego Symphony.

Both of these two professors will be joining Tony Baker to round out the faculty for the trombone department.

Congratulations to Dr. Mannix and Professor Menard!

New Faculty for University of North Texas College of Music

Jeremy Smith

Jeremy E. Smith is the Founder and Editor of Last Row Music. He received music degrees from Grace College, Carnegie Mellon University, and The Ohio State University. Currently, Jeremy is the bass trombonist of the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, and performs throughout Ohio, where he lives with his wife and two sons. Smith is a member of the International Trombone Association and the Jazz Journalists Association.