2026 Arkansas Trombone Workshop

John Sebastian Vera, a native of Texas, became the principal trombonist of the Pittsburgh Opera in 2010 and joined the River City Brass as principal trombone in 2015. He is a founder of the Third Coast Trombone Retreat and also professor of trombone at Duquesne University and faculty member at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he teaches a course on Music Entrepreneurship and Digital Media as well as coach chamber music.

In addition to the Pittsburgh Opera, Mr. Vera has played with the symphonies of Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Buffalo, Kennedy Center Opera House, Malaysian Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Vermont, Harrisburg, Charleston, American Ballet Theatre, and Orquesta Sinaloa de las Artes in Mexico amongst others.

He began his studies with Jon Bohls in Texas and continued his education at Southern Methodist University where he studied with John Kitzman of the Dallas Symphony. He then spent a year studying with Ed Zadrozny as a graduate assistant at the University of Akron, and finished his graduate work in New York City at the Mannes College of Music studying with David Finlayson and James Markey of the New York Philharmonic.

In 2011, he spent the summer in Haiti volunteer teaching and performing in the Orchestre Philharmonique Sainte Trinite as well as the Ecole de Musique Dessaix Baptiste which became one of the more profound experiences of his life.

A dedicated chamber musician, he also was a founding member of the critically acclaimed Guidonian Hand Trombone Quartet in which he played from 2008–2014. With the quartet, John performed over 100 concerts and gave master classes all over the country. Heralded by the New York Times for their “expertly played performances” they have been recipients of numerous national grants which have enabled them to commission countless composers to create new and innovative works for four trombones. In 2014 was the premiere of River of Fundament, a movie by film artist Matthew Barney, in which John recorded for and acted in along with the quartet.

Mr. Vera can also be heard on the HBO documentary The Words that Built America as well as on euphonium in the PBS documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln, A House Divided as well as many commercial and video game soundtracks as well as James Markey’s solo release, “On Base”.

Sebastian is an artist for Thein Instruments, has a signature JSV mouthpiece line he developed with Houghton Horns and resides in Pittsburgh. His favorite musicians include Sigur Ros, Radiohead, the Books, and Efterklang. When he can get away from the trombone he most enjoys basketball, traveling and reading about psychology, and social science. Check out his podcast he hosts with Nick Schwartz called the Trombone Retreat available everywhere you download your podcasts. Follow him on Instagram @js.vera.

Arie VandeWaa has been recently appointed to the rank of Assistant Professor of Trombone at Louisiana State University. Dr. VandeWaa is the bass trombonist for the Mobile Symphony Orchestra and principal trombone for the Mobile Opera Orchestra and for the Mobile Ballet. Dr. VandeWaa comes from his previous positions at the University of South Alabama where he taught courses in trombone, brass pedagogy, and music industry studies.

An Edwards Instruments Performing Artist, Dr. VandeWaa has worked as a freelance trombonist in the Southeast since 2010 and, in addition to his orchestral appointments in Mobile, has performed on both tenor and bass trombone with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, The Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, The Mobile Big Band Society, The Druid City Big Band, The Pensacola Jazz Society, as well as various other Jazz, Commercial, Second Line, and Chamber ensembles throughout the Gulf Coast region. Dr. VandeWaa has also maintained a healthy trombone studio, and has taught private lessons and working as a low brass clinician for multiple colleges and schools throughout the Southeast.

Dr. VandeWaa completed his Bachelor’s degree in music with elective studies in Business at the University of South Alabama, where he studied trombone under Dr. Greg Gruner, and completed his Master’s and Doctoral Degrees at the University of Alabama, where he studied Trombone Performance with Dr. Jon Whitaker.

Dr. Cory Mixdorf is thrilled to be a part of the distinguished faculty at the University of Arkansas. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa as well as Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees in trombone performance from Indiana University.

While maintaining a strong studio, Dr. Mixdorf sustains a regular schedule as a guest artist and clinician on the national and international levels. In addition to frequent solo recital tours, his most recent endeavors include: recording his first solo album, “Songs and Elegies,” performing at the 2021 and 2022 International Trombone Festivals, recurring performances at the American Trombone Workshop, touring Germany and recording a CD with the brass ensemble, Eurobrass and traveling to the Universidade de Brasilia where he was invited to solo with the Trombones Sociedade Anônima and give a master class to the University’s trombone students. Dr. Mixdorf was also fortunate to have been selected as a fellow in the 2011 Alessi Seminar in Tuscaloosa, AL. Dr. Mixdorf is also a member of the Blue Ridge Trombone Quartet, a group that tours frequently and has most recently performed Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse with the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” at the 2019 American Trombone Workshop in Washington D.C.

Outside of his collegiate duties, Dr. Mixdorf enjoys performing with several area ensembles. He is the current Principal Trombonist of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, the Second Trombonist with the Fort Smith Symphony, and plays regularly with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. Before coming to Arkansas, he served as the Acting Second Trombonist with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra and has also performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra Augusta, the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra and the Georgia Brass Band, a group with which he recorded the album, A Christmas Festival.

While attending Indiana University, he held the positions of Principal and Second Trombone in the Columbus, IN Philharmonic from 2006-2009. Other orchestral experience includes performances with the New World Symphony in Miami, FL, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra and Evansville Philharmonic. He has appeared as a soloist with the Indiana University Symphonic Band where he performed Richard Peaslee’s Arrows of Time. Dr. Mixdorf has also toured with the Mr. Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band.

Before his appointment at the University of Arkansas, Dr. Mixdorf served as Assistant Professor of Trombone at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA, adjunct instructor of brass at Vincennes University, associate instructor at Indiana University, and adjunct instructor of trombone at St. Ambrose University.

His principal teachers include Peter Ellefson, M. Dee Stewart, Nancy Vogt, D. Paul Pollard, Bruce Tychinski and Brad Edwards. Dr. Mixdorf is a Greenhoe Performing Artist.

When not playing trombone, Dr. Mixdorf spends every minute possible with his beloved wife Elizabeth and children, Miles, Madelyn, Mason, Meyer, and Montgomery.