Ian Schwalbe

Ian Schwalbe is a composer and trombonist whose music utilizes the power of storytelling to create dramatic, engaging, and meaningful art. He values using music to express true stories from the lives of lesser-known people throughout history, as well as stories from literature, personal experiences, and more abstract concepts from mathematics, photography, and human connection. The inspiration for many of Ian’s compositional techniques comes from the approach to storytelling used in movies, books, and other media, which he uses to transform narrative into sound. 

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Ian highly values the collaborative aspect of the composition process, and strives to write works that are exciting for his performers while sharing stories that are important to both himself and his collaborators. He frequently composes for everything from large wind ensembles to small chamber groups, though he specializes in working with brass instruments. His brass works have been performed by the trombone choirs at Columbus State University, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Florida State University, the University of Georgia, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Florida, as well as by the UGA, South Carolina, Huntsville, and UF Brass Bands. His compositions have been recognized nationally and internationally; he is a finalist for the 2026 WASBE Warren Benson International Composition Contest, a two-time winner of the British Trombone Society Composer’s Competition, the winner of the 2026 SERTEC Composition Contest, a finalist for the Sacramento State 48th FeNAM Call for Scores, and a participant at the 2026 International Trombone Festival Composition Workshop. Other chamber works by Ian have been performed by Decoda, the Atlantic Music Festival Contemporary Ensemble, the Collective at USC, the MAGE Tuba-Euphonium Quartet, the Aurum Brass Quintet, FSU’s Polymorphia Ensemble, the FSU Flute Choir, and more. 

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A resident of Alpharetta, Georgia, Ian holds degrees in music composition from Florida State University (MM) and the University of South Carolina (BM). His teachers have included Liliya Ugay, Clifton Callender, John Fitz Rogers, Fang Man, and Michael Wilkinson. He continues to be a passionate performer, and has performed with a variety of ensembles including the USC Wind Ensemble, USC Symphony, the South Carolina Brass Band, FSU and USC Trombone Choirs, and FSU’s EChO Ensemble. He was also a member of the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps.