INTRODUCTION
Dr. Connor Frederick is a trombonist, composer, and music educator. In 2025, he joined the faculty of the Eastern Illinois School of Music, serving as full-time Instructor of Trombone and Jazz.
Frederick maintains a career as an in-demand performing artist. In 2024, he joined Latin trap and reggaeton artist Bad Bunny on his Most Wanted Tour as a member of the Miami-based ensemble the Philharmonic Music Project. He has performed with symphony and chamber orchestras including the Southwest Florida Symphony, Sinfonia de Camera, and Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields. As a jazz and commercial artist, Frederick has performed with artists including Arturo Sandoval, Sal Lozano, Nestor Torres, Wayne Bergeron, Christian McBride, Regina Carter, Dick Oatts, Terell Stafford, and Gordon Goodwin. He has also performed with ensembles including the Chicago-based Afro-Cuban Jazz Collective, Jukebox Saturday Night, and the Blueshift Big Band.
Frederick is a founding member of NewStream Brass, a premiere crossover ensemble of collegiate brass instructors from around the United States that seeks to “produce repertoire, promote holistic music educational methods, and inspire audiences to broaden their musical perspectives.” As a performer and composer for this ensemble, his work can be heard on their premiere album A Step Forward, released in 2024 on all major streaming platforms.
Frederick is the winner of the American Trombone Workshop’s National Jazz Solo Competition and National Jazz Trombone Ensemble Competition, as well as being named a finalist in several prestigious solo competitions such as the International Trombone Festival and Southwest Trombone Symposium. Frederick was named the winner of the Frost School of Music Concerto Competition, performing an arrangement of the Concerto pour trombone et orchestre by Henri Tomasi with the Frost Wind Ensemble under the baton of Dr. Robert Carnochan.
Frederick earned his bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying under legendary trombonist Jim Pugh. Connor went on to earn his master’s degree in trombone performance at Pennsylvania State University, where he studied with Mark Lusk and Marko Marcinko. In 2025, Frederick completed his doctoral degree at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, studying with Timothy Conner and Dante Luciani.