Brian Wendel

About Brian

Brian Wendel joined The Cleveland Orchestra as Principal Trombone in August of 2022, appointed by Franz Welser-Möst. He previously served as Principal Trombone of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) for five seasons, beginning in 2017. Enjoying the thrill of solo performances and competitions, he has appeared as a soloist with the Vancouver and Prince George Symphonies, Denver University Brass Ensemble, and the Juilliard Trombone Choir, and was winner of the Music International Grand Prix — Winds and Brass category (2021), Online Trombone Competition (2020), Alessi Seminar Asia Competition (2018), and two International Trombone Association competitions (2014 and 2016). He has also performed with the Seattle Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and New York Philharmonic Brass Ensemble. He received his bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School under the mentorship of Joseph Alessi.

Wendel is on faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and is always excited to teach and perform in recital. He has worked with students at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa (Portugal), Hochschule Luzern (Switzerland), University of Colorado Boulder, Long Siew Tow Conservatory (Singapore), Denver University, National Youth Orchestra (USA), and University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Music, among others. Wendel served as Adjunct Professor of Trombone at UBC from 2019-2022, and has also been an Associate Instructor for the Alessi Seminar Asia. Wendel’s debut solo album, This is Home, was released on June 18, 2021, and it features music representing his ‘musical home’ through works by Scriabin, Bach, Crespo, Prokofiev, and himself.

Please feel free to visit his website for more details and sound bytes!

As an educator, I am committed to helping my students accomplish their goals as directly and effectively as possible. It is my aim for each student to define their own career goals, assess their own strengths and weaknesses, and understand the steps they must take over the short and long-term to accomplish those goals. In addition to cultivating an intense focus on their career aspirations, I also aim to build a supportive and trusting environment which addresses the student holistically. I take pride in my highly acute attention to detail on a technical level, in combination with an expressive, singing approach to music making.