The Steven Zellmer Trombone Competition



We are proud to sponsor a trombone competition in honor of the Minnesota Orchestra’s long-time Principal Trombonist, Steven Zellmer. Mr. Zellmer, who died in 1996, bequeathed a sum of money with instructions that it be used to help young trombonists in their pursuit of a professional symphony orchestra career. Having performed with orchestras for over 40 years, Mr. Zellmer wished to pass on his love of his instrument and his love of his profession in a manner that would continue to benefit both musicians and their audiences.

With his generous gift, we have designed a biennial, two-round competition for young, aspiring musicians interested in careers as orchestral trombone players. A Grand Prize of $5,000 will be given to the winner to assist in the pursuit of additional study. Additional prizes include a Second Prize of $2,500, a Third Prize of $1,500 and Finalist Awards of $500 to each of the other participating Finalists. This site contains all of the necessary information about this competition (see links on the left sidebar). While you're here, please visit our Archives section. There, you will find information about all of our past competitions, from who won to what they had to play! Also, find some tips on making an audition recording from the article, The Judge's Perspective, that appeared on our web site originally after the 2000 competition and subsequently in the summer 2000 issue of the ITA Journal.