The World & European Brass Association’s Brass Mentor Program is a philanthropic program that pairs gifted young brass players with internationally recognized masters. It gives highly talented students and pre-stundents, who are dependent on funding as a result of material and social disadvantage, the possibility to meet their mentors in masterclass- and one-to-one mentoring programs in person or online. 

Since 2014, the World & European Brass Association has paired mentors and protégés. The mentoring program has evolved into an enriching dialogue between artists of different generations, cultures and disciplines, helping to ensure that the world cultural heritage of brass music can be passed on from generation to generation.

1. WBA Brass Mentor Year-Round Program

This initiative runs throughout the year, with the aim of making significant contributions to music education and the world cultural heritage of brass music. It helps students and pre-students who do not have access in person to the university programs, festivals or masterclasses that are organized by WBA and their partners. 

List of constant WBA Brass Mentors for the year-round program see underneath. 

2. WBA Brass Mentor Projects

Internationally renowned professors and artists of the WBA Faculty in ca. 55 countries worldwide, their teams and students support the philantropic idea of the WBA Brass Mentor Program in cultural education projects in their home countries. These projects take place in cooperation with e.g. their home universities, conservatories, orchestras or cultural institutions. In each official project, a certain number of scholarships is given by WBA Brass Mentors to students or pre-students, who are in need of support and who cannot take part in the regular programs. 

List of WBA Brass Mentors for worldwide projects see underneath.

The young artists are selected, depending on the project, through nomination of the WBA partners, professors and partner organizations. The decision of participation in the WBA Brass Mentor Scholarship Program & Projects is talen by a team of constant WBA Brass Mentors.   

Mentors Trumpet

Mentors Trobone

Mentors Horn

Mentors 

WBA Brass Mentor Projects

T R U M P E T

Sergei Nakariakov, International Soloist, Paris, France 

Pacho Flores, Internat. Soloist, Venezuela, former Principal Trumpet Miami Symphony Orchestra, USA

Prof. John Wallace, former Principal Trumpet Philharmonia Orchestra London, Head of Brass Royal Academy of Music London, Dean Royal Scotish Academy of Music, Glasgow, Great Britain 

Prof. Mark David, Artistic Director and Head of Brass Royal Academy of Music, London, Principal Trumpet of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, former Pricipal Trumpet of the Philharmonia Orchestra London, GB 

Guillaume Couloumy, Principal Trumpet NDR Elbpharmonic Orchestra, Hamburg, Germany 

Prof. David Hickman, International Soloist and Prof. Arizona State University, Phoenix, USA

Prof. Benny Wiame, former Principal Trumpet Royal Flemish Philharmonic and Rotterdam Philharmonic, Professor at the Conservatoire Maastricht, NL, University College Ghent and Luca School of Arts Leuven, Belgium 

Prof. Guang Chen, Professor & Head of Orchestra Department Central Conservatory of Music Beijing, China 

Prof. John Miller, Prof. Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, former Trumpet Philharmonia Orchestra London, GB 

Prof. Armando Cedillo, Artistic Coordinator Puebla Symphony Orchestra, Mexico 
Prof. Sebastian Gíl, Professor Conservatory Gran Canaria, Spain 

Prof. Andrij Ilkiv, Principal Trumpet Würth Philharmonic, Germany, Trumpet Soloist Organ Hall Kiew, Ukraine, former Professor Akademia im. Michaiła Glinki Dnepr, Ukraine

Prof. Daniel Marcel Crespo, Principal Trumpet Philharmonic Orchestra of the Teatro Colón, Professor Conservatory Franz Liszt in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Prof. Iskander Akhmadullin, Assoc. Professor of Trumpet, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA 

Prof. Gabriele Cassone, Prof. Conservatory of Novara, International Soloist, Novara, Italy 

Prof. Andrea Tofanelli, Professor Conservator Mondena, International Jazz Soloist, Italy 

Prof. Mary Elizabeth Bowden, former Member of Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Prof. Shenandoah

          Conservatory, Winchester, Virginia, USA

Joakim Wangendal, Co-Principal Trumpet Royal Opera House Stockholm, Sweden

Frank David Greene, International Jazz Soloist, New York, USA

Bryan Davis, International Jazz Soloist, New York, USA

H O R N

Prof. Frank Lloyd, Professor at the Folkwang University of the Arts, Essen, Germany 

David Bonet Piris, Co-Principel Horn Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Spain

T R O M B O N E

Prof. Jörgen van Rijen, Principal Trombone Concert Gebouw Orchestra, Prof. Amsterdam Conservatory, NL 

Prof. Wolfgang Strasser, Trombone Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Professor University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, Austria

Alexander Gorbunov, Principal Trombone Mariinsky Theatre St. Petersburg, Russia
Prof. Josef Kürner, Professor Bruckner University Linz, Austria 
Prof. Unai Urrecho, Professor Suwon University, South Korea 

Peter Steiner, Trombone Vienna State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Austria (term contract), Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden, Germany (term contract) 

E U P H O N I U M

Fletcher Mitchell, Euphonium Royal Australian Navy Band, Sydney, Australia 

T U B A

Prof. Rex Martin, Professor for Tuba and Euphonium, Northwestern University Chicago, USA 

Prof. Steve Rossé, Principal Tuba Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Professor Sydney Conservatory, Australia 

Prof. Anne Jelle Visser, Professor Musikhochschule Zurich, former Tuba Opera Orchestra Zurich, Switzerland
Prof. Josef Steinböck, Tuba Mozarteum Orchestra, Salzburg, Austria, Professor Musikhochschule Munich, Germany 

C U L T U R A L   M A N A G E M E N T

Prof. Dr. Peter Duvinage, Professor for Management, Economics, Journalism, University Tuebingen, Germany
Hans-Juerg Rufener, Rufener Events (intern. FIFA Congresses, worldwide Technoevents: Mayday, Nature One, Ruhr in love etc.), Zürich, Swizzerland
Ilona Schmiel, Former Director Beethovenfest Bonn, Germany, Director Tonhalle Zürich, Switzerland
Prof. Andreas Schulz, Director Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, Professor Hochschule Bremen, Leipzig, Germany 

Prof. Sabine Kierdorf, International Music Management, former Head of Arena Events, Arena AufSchalke, Management German Music Festival for the FIFA Football World Championship 2006TM etc., Cologne, Germany

M U S I C  P R O D U C T I O N S

Joachim Jäckel, TV- and Stage Director, Germany, Austria, Swizzerland, Primetime show- and music productions, documentary, Berlin, Germany 
Mike Lindup, Co-Founder Level 42, London, GB 

C O M P O S I T I O N

Prof. Dr. Enjott Schneider, Composer, President German Composer Association DKV, Chairmanship Deutscher Musikrat, former Prof. music theory University for Music, Munich, Germany 

Prof. Juraj Filas, Composer, Prof. Academy of Performing Arts, Prague, Czech Republic

Gina Enríquez-Morán, Composer & Conductor, Mexico City, Mexico 

Hélène Blazy, Composer & Violinist, France

Francesco Traversi, Composer, Global Music Awards Winner 2016 (USA), Italy 

Geoffrey Gordon, Composer, Winner of 2017-18 Mario Merz Prize for Music, USA/UK 

C O R R E P E T I T I O N

Mag. Liming Zhang-Sowa, Salzburg, Austria

Natalia Bolshakova, Columbia (Missouri), USA

A C T I N G

Mathieu Carrière, International TV- and Cinema Actor, Paris, France/ Hamburg, Germany

V O C A L

Prof. Eva Lind, Soprano, Artistic Director Eva Lind Music Academy Tirol, Innsbruck, Austria 

Caroline Merz, Soprano, former member of the Volksoper Vienna, Austria

The right to make all changes is reserved.