Shannon Pittaway – Eclectic Music for Bass Trombone

Shannon is the Principal Bass Trombonist with the NZSO and Head of Winds and Brass at NZSM. Before moving to Wellington in 2015 he held the same position with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Shannon began playing the cornet at the age of six with guidance from his father Wayne Pittaway and grew up playing in Salvation Army brass bands. He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from the Victorian College of the Arts and a Master of Music from Northwestern University in Chicago.

Shannon is a founding member of the Australian Brass Quintet and the Australian World Orchestra. He has received numerous awards and grants including an honorary fellowship “in recognition for his contribution and achievements in orchestral world music” from Melbourne University. While in Singapore, he was on the faculty of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.

This lunchtime recital is an eclectic collection of music written for Bass Trombone without piano. There is an unaccompanied suite by Swiss American Composer/Saxophonist Daniel Schnyder, Pieces with tape accompaniment and a piece for one instrumentalist who has to play Bass Trombone, Bass Drum and Hi-Hat at the same time!