Trombone with Connor T.

As a passionate educator and an advocate of community engagement, Connor Thummel has taught privately and co-founded ensembles across the country. Before arriving in Boston, Mr. Thummel co-directed and performed with Benefit Brass, a Chicago-based non-profit brass ensemble that organized benefit concerts for charities. While completing his undergraduate degree at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, he was also a member of Classical Connections, a student-run organization that presented performances to the underserved. Mr. Thummel has also taught at clinics and privately for several years in both the Chicago and Boston areas. His students have performed and received high marks in solo and ensemble competitions, and have been accepted into competitive music colleges. He is currently on faculty with the South Shore Conservatory in Hingham, and teaches at schools in Brookline and Chestnut Hill. In addition to a music performance degree, he also holds a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Boston University. While at Boston University, he studied with Gabriel Rice, and at Indiana University he studied with Professor Peter Ellefson. Other former teachers include Tim Smith, Doug Rosenthal, BJ Hardesty, and Chip DeStefano. Mr. Thummel has attended festivals and seminars across the country, including the Mulcahy Seminar and the Third Coast Trombone Retreat. While in high school, he had the opportunity to play in Midwest Young Artists. There, he received honorable mentions in the Walgreens National Concerto Competition in 2010, and the Discover Chamber Competition in 2011. Outside of performing and teaching, Mr. Thummel enjoys running, reading, and writing short stories.