IlanMorgenstern.com
Ilan’s visit to Ole Miss was one of the best guest artist experiences we have had during my time at Ole Miss. Performing an entire recital of solo works and works with fixed media is often a challenge with regard to audience engagement, but Ilan had everyone captivated with his beautiful sound, expressive playing, and creative repertoire choices. His masterclass was equally enjoyable; he was able to immediately identify issues that each student was having, focus on those that could be meaningfully improved in a limited time span, and deliver comments and instructions that were simultaneously challenging and encouraging. Having heard about his mutes over the past few years, I didn’t fully believe the hype until I played the ones he brought along for us to try. Now I have to buy a bunch of new mutes! Great performing, great teaching, and the students loved him. Just a first-class visit all around."
Micah Everett, Professor of Low Brass,
University of Mississippi
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I:t was an absolute honor to welcome Ilan Morgenstern to the Miami University Department of Music for a remarkable master class and solo recital. His visit was an inspiring and enriching experience for our students, faculty, and audience.
Ilan brought extraordinary depth of knowledge, musical understanding, and technical command to his teaching. In the master class, he worked with our trombone students in a way that was both analytical
and deeply musical. His ability to identify the essence of each student’s playing — tone quality, phrasing, articulation, and expressive intent — was exceptional. The clarity of his communication and his insightful explanations encouraged immediate improvement, while his thoughtful questions helped students think critically about their sound and musical choices. He created an engaging, supportive environment that challenged our students to reach higher artistic levels.His solo recital was equally inspiring. Performing an entire program solely with electronics, Ilan demonstrated extraordinary creativity, precision, and expressive power. The concert was beautifully balanced between virtuosic brilliance and lyrical depth. Each work was introduced with insightful commentary that helped the audience connect with the music on a personal level. His performance showcased not only his technical mastery but also his curiosity, imagination, and ability to bridge tradition and innovation within the trombone repertoire.Beyond his technical and musical excellence, Ilan’s generosity as a musician and educator stood out. He shared his experiences from the orchestral, solo, and contemporary music worlds with openness and humility. Our students left both the master class and recital deeply inspired — motivated to practice more thoughtfully and to approach their instruments with renewed purpose and artistry.We are truly grateful for Ilan Morgenstern’s visit. His artistry, knowledge, and spirit of collaboration made a profound and lasting impact on our program, and we look forward to welcoming him back to Miami University in the near future."
Jaime Morales-Matos, Miami University
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Ilan Morgenstern is an incredibly facile and powerful trombonist who captures your attention when he plays. Ilan is extremely thoughtful in everything he does, treating every discussion as a learning workshop for both himself and others. He gracefully offers his opinions while encouraging feedback to build his own knowledge base...and he asks more questions than his students! As a result, his classes are engaging and challenging without being intimidating. When you hear Ilan play, you think, "I'd like to be able to do that!" Then he tells you how... you can't beat that!
Scott Hartman, Yale University
"It took until the 1980s for the world to experience its first trombone soloist, a musician truly captivating enough to generate an audience that would promote a career as a full-time soloist. I believe the world may be witnessing its first bass trombone soloist! Ilan Morgenstern possesses an inspiring combination of virtuosity without limitation, married with boundless colorful expression. Also, rather than trodding the traditional path of performing cannon standards or transcriptions, he is a heavy-weight champion of original and creative compositions by current and living composers!"
John S. Neurohr , Assistant Professor of Trombone, Central Washington University
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“Ilan Morgenstern’s performance was nothing short of spectacular. His fluid technique, rich sound, vast range and stylistic diversity thrilled the audience. Many stated that this performance was one of the best trombone recitals that they have ever heard.”
James Decker, Texas Tech University
"Ilan Morgenstern is one of the finest bass trombonists out there. Everything he performed was at the highest possible level, including some fascinating new solo works and compositions for bass trombone and fixed media. A special treat was that Ilan brought many of his new Morningstar mutes so that everyone could try them out. These things are fantastic! The response and intonation is excellent throughout. I absolutely loved the aluminum bottom straight and cup mutes. I can’t wait to get them in and put them to use!"
Jonathan Allen, Assistant Professor of Trombone, University of Iowa
"I had the pleasure of hosting Ilan Morgenstern as a featured guest artist at the WIU Trombone Festival in January of 2025. Not only is his musicianship and teaching ability at a clearly elite level, he also possesses a genuine interest in providing help and guidance to the students he interacts with. He left a strong impression with everyone that attended and I am already looking forward to our next collaboration!" - Jett M. Walker, Assistant Professor of Trombone, Western Illinois University
"Everything about Ilan's approach is inspiring, thoughtful, encouraging, fresh, and amazing! When he visited my university, he displayed his virtuosity as a soloist, his mastery as a teacher, his mission as a musician (and as a human being), and his infectious personality with white-hot enthusiasm. Everyone missed him the instant he was gone!"
Sean Reed, Associate Professor of Trombone, Arkansas Tech University
"It was an absolute thrill to host internationally-acclaimed bass trombonist Ilan Morgenstern for a two-day residency at Portland State University. His electrifying solo recital showcased awe-inspiring artistry and musicianship, while his masterclass and individual lessons sparked fresh inspiration and motivation in students and many who attended"
Li Kuang, Assistant Professor of Tromobne, Portland State University,
