Education

• Doctor of Musical Arts, University of Texas at Austin
• Master of Music, University of Texas at Austin
• Bachelor of Music, University of Southern Mississippi

Biography

A third-generation musician, Martin McCain’s career spans an impressive range of musical genres. As an ambassador of the bass trombone, McCain maintains a versatile performance schedule as a soloist, recording artist, chamber, orchestral, jazz/commercial musician and educator. He is a four-time winner of the Global Music Awards and was featured as their “Emerging Artist” in Billboard magazine, with performances described as “solid and masterful” (International Trombone Association Journal) with a “warm and beautiful” tone (GlissandoMagazine).

McCain’s performances include concerts at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Croatian National Theatre and others. His performances have been broadcast on CNN’s Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom, Radio Television Hong Kong and NPR’s “Performance Today.”

As a recording artist, Martin has released four CDs, Renew (2021), Trombone Czar: The Extended Version (2015), Shades (2014), and Trombone Czar: Russian Treasures Recorded Live! (2012). He can be heard on Motown Records, Atlantic Records, Summit Records and numerous film and videogame soundtracks. As a soloist, Martin has performed with the Croatian Army Wind Band, United States Army Concert Band “Pershing’s Own”, the United States Army Brass Quintet, Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kingsville Symphony Orchestra Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, and the Balcones Chamber Orchestra.

As an orchestral musician, McCain is a member of the IRIS Collective and Gateways Music Festival Orchestra and regularly performs with the orchestras of Memphis, San Antonio and Austin. He has also been invited to be a guest bass trombone with numerous top-tier orchestras, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and Utah Symphony Orchestra, among others. As a chamber musician, Martin is a member of the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass and regularly performs with his wife, pianist Artina McCain as the McCain Duo.

As a jazz/commercial musician, McCain leads the award-winning Austin-based jazz trombone ensemble, JazzBonez. He has performed with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Frank Sinatra Jr. Orchestra and several Broadway touring shows, including Ain’t Too Proud, Tina, and Motown. Martin has also collaborated with legendary artists such as Earth Wind and Fire, Roberta Flack, Bel Biv Devoe, Jon Batiste, Chaka Khan, Ne-Yo, Robert Glasper, The Roots, Lenny Williams, the Temptations and the Four Tops.

In the 2022-23 season, Martin will be an artist-in-residence at Stetson University. Other upcoming engagements include performances in London and Toronto and touring with the McCain Duo. A passionate advocate of creating new trombone repertoire, McCain has commissioned and arranged works that are becoming standard in the canon. These works include his arrangements of Weber/Rachmaninov, Jack Wilds’ Leviathan for trombone ensemble and Marcus Wilcher’s Shades (international solo competition repertoire).

Martin is an Artist/Teacher of Trombone and Coordinator of Brass at Texas State University. Dr. McCain’s students have also been extremely successful in solo and ensemble competitions, including those hosted by the International Trombone Association, the American Trombone Workshop, and the Big 12 Trombone Conference and are regular winners of the Texas State University concerto competition. In recognition of his teaching, Martin received the College Achievement Award in Teaching and the Presidential Distinction Award for Excellence in Teaching. His students have been accepted into the nation’s most prestigious graduate programs, such as the Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Yale University, Northwestern University, Manhattan School of Music and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Dr. McCain’s students have also performed with the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Symphony, Houston Symphony and U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors. In addition to his duties at Texas State, Martin has spent summers on the faculty of the Interharmony International Music Festival (Italy), the SliderAsia Music Festival (Hong Kong) and the English Brass Academy (Croatia).

McCain received his Bachelor of Music degree with a business minor at the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Martin McCain is a performing artist for S.E. Shires, Reunion Blues Gig Bags, and plays on the “McCain” signature mouthpiece series manufactured by Pickett Brass. Martin is an avid BBQ pitmaster and sports enthusiast in his spare time.

For more information, visit www.martinmccain.com.