Schwob Brass Festival Held At Columbus State University

The annual Schwob Brass Festival (SBF) took place at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia from June 29–July 2, 2026.

The festival featured trumpet and horn guest artists Amy McCabe, Co-Principal Trumpet of The President’s Own; Dr. Ryan Gardner, Professor of Trumpet at the University of Colorado Boulder; Joanna Yarbrough, Associate Professor of Horn at Michigan State University; and Ryan Little, Principal Horn of the Atlanta Symphony, along with Schwob School of Music faculty Drs. Aaron Jensen and Anne-Marie Cherry. This year, SBF faculty were joined by faculty from the Southeast Trombone Symposium for an opening brass ensemble concert featuring three world premiere arrangements.

Highlights for the festival’s 65 attendees included daily masterclasses and warmup sessions, faculty recitals, an emphasis on student-artist interactions and mentorship, private lessons, student chamber ensemble performances, faculty and student excerpt side-by-sides, and both high-school and collegiate solo competitions sponsored by Houghton Horns. The winner of the High-School Solo Competition was trumpet player Mirah Lindsay (Atlanta, GA), and the winner of the College Solo Competition was horn player Cole Zelman (Columbus State University, Northwestern University). (Source: Aaron Jensen)