Brass Faculty

Terry Sawchuk - trumpet (YAS, JSS1, JSS2)

Terry Sawchuk is Associate Professor of Trumpet at the University of Colorado at Boulder. As an orchestral musician, Terry has served as Acting Assistant Principal Trumpet with the Colorado Symphony, Principal Trumpet with the Central City Opera Orchestra, the American Chamber Ensemble, the Denver Chamber Orchestra, and the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, and has performed and recorded with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Denver Symphony Orchestra, and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he was a member of the nationally renowned Dallas Brass, and he recorded with the ensemble on Dallas Brass II. As a soloist, Terry has performed at several International Trumpet Guild Conferences, the National Trumpet Competition, and at universities, colleges and high schools throughout the United States. In 2000, he performed as soloist with the Ukrainian National Orchestra in Kyiv, Ukraine. Terry has toured with the national Broadway productions of Carousel and Miss Saigon. He has performed with over fifty national Broadway touring musicals in Denver.

Presently Mr. Sawchuk is First Trumpet for the Buell Theater in Denver, a founding member of the Boulder Brass, a member of the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, first trumpet with the Colorado Brass Quintet, and performs regularly with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Sawchuk has performed master classes and clinics throughout the United States, and served as an adjudicator for many competitions with the International Trumpet Guild and the National Trumpet Competition. He has served as a member of the ITG Board of Directors.

Many students of Professor Sawchuk are professional musicians in orchestras, touring bands, and shows across the United States. Several students are teaching at universities in the U.S. and in Canada, and many other trumpet students are teaching in public school music programs across the country.

Mr. Sawchuk has taught at Northern Illinois University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and at the University of Kansas. He received his music degrees from the University of Michigan.

Dawn Kramer - trumpet (YAS, JSS1, JSS2)

Dawn Kramer is a freelance trumpet player in the Denver area. She is currently a member of the Boulder Brass, the Darren Kramer Organization, and the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. She is second trumpet at the Buell Theatre. She has subbed with the Colorado Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, Denver Brass, and many regional orchestras and chamber ensembles.

As a Colorado native, Ms. Kramer attended the University of Colorado. She has toured as lead trumpet aboard several cruise lines, a Miami-based salsa band, as well as the internationally acclaimed rock band, Matchbox Twenty. These travels took her across the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Mexico. She has appeared on the Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, the Rosie O'Donnell show, and VH1 Storytellers.

She has recently performed at the International Trumpet Guild, the International Association of Jazz Educators, and the Colorado Music Educators Association conventions.

Ms. Kramer teaches privately and is a staff member of both the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts and the Colorado Honor Band Association.

Michael Thornton - French horn (YAS , JSS1, JSS2)

Michael Thornton has held the position of Principal Horn with the Colorado Symphony since 1997. Prior to joining the Colorado Symphony, Michael left his studies at The Juilliard School for the Principal Horn position with the Honolulu Symphony, and has played guest Principal Horn for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, and Chautauqua Institute Festival Orchestra in Chautauqua, NY. He has performed many subscriptions and summer seasons with the Philadelphia Orchestra, including several Carnegie Hall performances and the 2005 Tour of Asia. Mr. Thornton’s festival appearances include Bravo! Vail Valley (CO), Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival (NM), Moab Music Festival (UT), and Spoleto (SC). He has recorded on the Angel/EMI, Koch, Naxos, Vox Classics, Albany, and UCAM labels.

Michael is an active chamber musician and soloist. In addition to solo engagements with the Colorado Symphony, he has appeared with various Front Range orchestras. He has performed numerous recitals throughout the United States. Mr. Thornton is the Solo Horn of the Washington Island Chamber Festival in Door County, Wisconsin. He is also a member of the artist faculty at the Colorado College Music Festival in Colorado Springs. He has performed on several occasions with the New York Wind Soloists Quintet, a group comprised of members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Michael especially enjoys playing chamber works for flute and horn with his wife, Colorado Symphony Piccolo Julie Duncan Thornton.

Mr. Thornton joined the horn faculty at the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1999. His students come from around the country, and have gone on to major conservatories and orchestral positions. The CU Horn Choir has earned national attention under his tutelage, having performed at horn workshops, music educator conferences, and even Colorado Rockies baseball games. Mr. Thornton has presented master classes at various major music institutions, including the Curtis Institute, Rice University, Manhattan School of Music, Interlochen National Music Camp, and many others.

Michael studied at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music and Temple University. His main teachers have included Jerome Ashby, Randy Gardner, Julie Landsman and J. C. Leuba. Mr. Thornton is a Conn/Selmer artist, and performs on an Elkhart Conn 8D.

Jason Michael Johnston - French horn (JSS1 & 2)

Recently appointed Professor of Horn at the University of Wyoming Jason is currently Associate Principal Horn for the Fort Collins Symphony, Opera Fort Collins and the Canyon Concert Ballet. He is 2nd horn for the Strings in the Mountains Music Festival Orchestra, Acting Assistant Utility Horn for the Cheyenne Symphony and also the Principal Horn of the Steamboat Springs Orchestra. He recently appeared as a soloist with the Steamboat Orchestra performing Mozart’s Second Concerto for Horn and Orchestra where, “…The soloist, Jason Johnston, performed splendidly.” ~ Steamboat Pilot. Jason is also a Principal Player (Horn) with the Apollo Chamber Brass ). With the ACB he has toured and performed in Colorado, at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas and Oregon. The ACB was granted nonprofit status in July of 2008 which helps further their mission of dedication to the advancement of music appreciation and understanding in current and future generations through performance and education. Jason is also hornist for the Steamboat Winds and Elevenet Jazz Ensemble an ensemble with which he had the fantastic opportunity to take part as a performer/clinician at the 2008 International Association of Jazz Educators conference in Toronto, Canada.

Jason has also performed with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic as Principal Horn for the ballet production of Firebird, the Denver Brass, Colorado Springs Philharmonic in other capacities, Colorado Chamber Orchestra, Boulder Philharmonic, San Juan Symphony, Emerald City Opera, Longmont Symphony, Colorado Brass Company, Front Range Chamber Players, Northern Colorado Opera Orchestra, Little Theatre of the Rockies, Fort Collins Wind Symphony and Loveland Choral Society while also taking part in performances with the West Nebraska Masterworks Chorale, Loveland Music Guild, Loveland Chamber Orchestra, Larimer Chorale, Longmont Chorale, Boulder Chorale, Gossamer Winds, UNC Summer Band, Linden Street Brass Quintet and the Rocky Mountain Horn Ensemble. Jason can be heard on the commercially available recording, "IN A WORLD..." on the Goes to Eleven label.

Jason has been teaching in the Colorado Front Range for ten years and currently maintains a strong private studio of students who regularly attend All-State Orchestra, All-State Band, Collegiate Honor Bands, and various District Honor Bands. Jason has students attending Universities all over the country including Colorado, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Montana and the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music. Jason coaches/teaches individual and/or small chamber ensembles at Rocky Ridge Music Center, Boulder Youth Symphony and formerly with the Youth Orchestra of the Rockies. He also works with Thompson Valley High School and Legacy High School along with several other front-range high schools. In the summer of 2007 he had the opportunity to present a lecture about Horn Pedagogy at the Colorado Bandmasters Association Convention in Greenwood Village, CO.

Jason is currently progressing towards his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Horn Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Colorado at Boulder studying with Michael Thornton (Principal Horn Colorado Symphony). Jason finished his Bachelor Degree in Horn Performance under the tutelage of his mentor Jack Herrick (Yamaha Artist – Retired) at the University of Northern Colorado then stayed on at UNC to complete the Master Degree in Horn Performance under associate professor of horn, Marian Hesse (Grammy Award Winner – Chestnut Brass Company). He was awarded several scholarships and was a finalist for the 2002 Rocky Mountain Concerto Competition. As part of his Master Degree Jason was able to take part in an internship program offered by the Yamaha Corporation of America – Los Angeles. He had the opportunity to further his education by studying with Julie Landsman, Christopher Leuba, Carlberg Jones, Bruce Hudson, Rick Todd, Bruce Barrie, David Brussel, and Carolyn Landis.

William Stanley -  trombone (YAS, JSS1, JSS2)

William Stanley is Associate Professor of Trombone at the College of Music. Prior to his appointment at CU in 1985, he performed as a member of the Chestnut Brass Company, a brass quintet which tours internationally and recently won a Grammy award. Dr. Stanley performs performs in a wide variety of musical settings, including as a member of the Boulder Brass, the Colorado Brass Quintet, Colorado Ballet Orchestra (principal) and as substitute/extra with the Colorado Symphony. He has presented master classes and clinics for many organizations and schools including the International Trombone Association, Music Teachers National Association, and the Colorado Music Educator’s Association, and has hosted the 1998 International Trombone Festival at CU. Dr. Stanley has authored articles and reviews for the International Trombone Association Journal, is co-author of Teaching Brass: A Resource Manual (McGraw-Hill), and was a contributor to Solos for the Student Trombonist: An Annotated Bibliography (BIM 2004). His teaching experience includes positions at Temple, Eastern Illinois, and Millikin Universities. He holds the BME degree from the University of Kansas and MM and DMA degrees from the University of Illinois.

Michael Dunn - tuba & euphonium (YAS, JSS1, JSS2)

Michael Dunn joined the faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder as Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium in the fall of 2005. Prior to assuming his position at Colorado, Mr. Dunn served on the faculty at the University of Alabama for eleven years and performed as a member of “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band in Washington D.C. from 1994-1999. Mr. Dunn holds degrees from Tennessee Technological University (B.S.) and Arizona State University (M.M.) where his primary teachers were R. Winston Morris and Daniel Perantoni. Mike has also held adjunct faculty positions at The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Samford University and Shelton State Community College in Alabama. Mike played for three seasons as principal tubist with the Alabama Symphony and toured nationally with Mr. Jack Daniel’s Original Silver Cornet Band. He has performed with such organizations as the Colorado Symphony and Ballet Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, the Arizona Opera Orchestra and the Maryland Symphony as well as the St. Louis Brass Quintet and Dallas Brass. Mike can be heard on several recording labels including Summit Records, Crescendo Records, Mark Records, Intrada and Silver Cornet Productions, Inc. He is very active as a clinician and recitalist and has performed and presented master-classes at conferences and clinics through the international level. Outside his musical responsibilities Mike enjoys adventures with his wife Jennifer and daughter Anna, backpacking, cooking and amateur carpentry.