MEET OUR
TEACHERS
ANGELA JOHNSON
Angela Johnson is the founder of Full-Blown Trombone and a trombonist and music educator based in Catonsville, Maryland. She performs regularly with the Ellicott City Trombone Choir and the Summer Club Big Band.
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Angela has been featured as a soloist with the Ocean City Pops Orchestra and Jersey Shore Pops Orchestra. She has performed with the Capital Wind Symphony, the Trinity Chamber Orchestra, Bayside Brass Quintet, Monumental Brass Quintet, Category 5 Wind Ensemble, the Prince George's Philharmonic, BSO Academy, DC Strings and Heritage Trombones. As a Showband musician, she has entertained audiences aboard Carnival Cruise ships and at Busch Gardens Entertainment venues.
A highly sought-after teacher, Angela conducts low brass sectionals and masterclasses for area schools and youth orchestras. Her private students have won concerto competitions and seats in youth orchestras and regional honors bands. Angela Johnson received a Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance from Temple University's Boyer College of Music in Philadelphia under the instruction of Matthew Vaughn. Additional teachers include Richard Linn and Paul Bryan.
KIRSTEN LIES-WARFIELD
Kirsten Lies-Warfield hails from Fargo, North Dakota where she received a high quality arts education from teachers who still influence her thinking today. Kirsten found further inspiration at Lawrence University, where she received a BM degree, magna cum laude, in 1994. Following graduation, she married Patrick Warfield and moved to Indiana where he began graduate school. Ms. Warfield began her studies at Indiana University in 1996, receiving a MM degree and then moving on to doctoral studies in brass pedagogy. She joined The United States Army Band in 1999, becoming the first woman trombonist ever hired by ‘Pershing’s Own.’
Ms. Warfield has also been principal trombone of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and the Prince George's Philharmonic and second trombone with the Arlington Philharmonic. She has played with the Monarch Brass, Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, Chopteeth Afrofunk, Shannon Gunn and the Bullettes, McLean Orchestra, Great Noise Ensemble, Black Masala and Pan-American Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Warfield also is an active composer-performer, writing works to suit her needs and tastes to perform for local and national audiences. Ms. Warfield is available for Zoom lessons only.
ABHINN MALHOTRA
Originally from Long Island, Abhinn began his undergraduate education at Hofstra University as a Euphonium Performance major studying with Michael Salzman. He was the recipient of the Stephen P. Saltzman Endowed Scholarship, an annual award for undergraduate Euphonium players demonstrating excellence in performance. During his time at Hofstra, he also began studying independently and performing as a soloist under the guidance of Aaron Vanderweele. Abhinn transferred to the Peabody Institute of Music to complete his undergraduate Euphonium studies with Dr. Steven Kellne. It was at the Peabody Institute that he also began formally studying Wind Conducting with Dr. Harlan D. Parker.
After graduating with his Bachelor’s Degree in Euphonium Performance, Abhinn returned to Peabody and began pursuing two Master’s degrees in Wind Conducting and Euphonium Performance, continuing his studies with Dr. Harlan D. Parker, and Dr. Steven Kellner respectively. After completing his Graduate degrees in 2018, Abhinn returned to the Peabody Institute as a Doctoral Candidate in Wind Conducting, and was awarded the Wind Conducting Graduate Assistantship. Outside of music, Abhinn enjoys cooking, road trips, and is an avid hockey and baseball fan.
AUSTIN FAIRLEY
Austin Fairley is a passionate, inspired, and excited music educator, clinician, and performer. Austin strives to bring music education to as many ages, cultures and demographics as possible. He aims to bring light to newer composers, inspire others through performance and to bring equity of access to music education to the masses. Through his love for music education, Austin recently became the Director of Bands at Mountain View High School in Stafford, VA.
Austin Fairley joined the faculty of the College of Southern Maryland as the Adjunct Professor of Trombone in August 2022. Austin received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Shenandoah Conservatory where he studied with Dr. Matt Niess and Dr.Jeff Cortazzo. He earned his Master of Music Degree from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, where he studied with Matthew Guilford.
JOHN McCAHEY
Starting from an early discovery of John Coltrane, John was hooked on music quick. It was Coltrane and other jazz artists that helped John choose trombone as an instrument. While early studies and performances focused on classical music, John quickly transitioned to study jazz with Jim McFalls and Dave Ballou at Towson University. Towson's unique curriculum combined with his experiences in bands like 9 Mile Roots, Screaming Art Large Ensemble and Joe Keyes and Late Bloomer Band expanded John's view of music. He also worked as a cruise ship musician.
John was invited to join the first class of the graduate school of music at the Hartt School of Music - University of Hartford. There John studied with renowned jazz trombone artist Steve Davis and Javon Jackson. This narrowed his focus to learn the Jazz tradition, while he also taught himself to compose and to play trumpet and piano. Currently John enjoys teaching trombone and trumpet, composing, studying, and performing as much as possible!
WILL GAMACHE
William Gamache currently resides in Sterling, Virginia. He has taught middle school band in Colorado and Oregon for the last 10 years, and has taught trombone, bass trombone, euphonium and tuba lessons since 2006. Mr. Gamache holds his MM in trombone performance from Colorado State University and 2 bachelor's degrees in euphonium performance and music education from Colorado State University.
Mr. Gamache currently is the trombonist with the NOVA Brass Quintet and the DC-based ska band The Fuss, and also perfroms on euphonium with the Fairfax Wind Symphony and the Rockville Brass Band. Mr. Gamache is extremely excited to live and work in the DC area, and enjoys working with students of all ages and experience levels on trombone, bass trombone, euphonium, and tuba.
HUNTER SWANSON
Hunter Swanson began playing euphonium in 2008 for the Flagstaff High School Band program under the direction of Jon Eder. In 2010 he spent the summer marching with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. In 2016 he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a bandsman, and subsequently served with the 2d Marine Division Band as their principal euphoniumist and section leader. During his tour he performed across the country as well as internationally. In addition to performances in wind band, he has experience playing a wide range of styles from brass quintet to big band. Hunter Swanson has been featured as a soloist by the Old Pueblo Brass Band, the George Mason University Wind Symphony, and at the Kennedy Center. As a member of the Fairfax Four, a brass quartet started by a group of friends at George Mason University, he was featured by the American Festival Pops Orchestra in December of 2022. Hunter Swanson graduated with his Bachelor of Music in Euphonium Performance from George Mason University in May of 2023. He is currently studying with Dr. Mark Jenkins, and his past teachers include Jon Faieta, Dr. Kelly Thomas, and Dr. Matt Tropman. He currently performs with the Brass Band of Northern Virginia, the Alte Kameraden Blastkapella, and a wide variety of chamber ensembles including the Happy Hour Brass Quintet.
MEREDITH FULLER
Meredith Fuller is a tubist and low brass educator based in the Baltimore area. She received her bachelors of music education and masters in tuba performance from Penn State University and is currently finishing her D.M.A. at the Peabody Institute.
Fuller began playing the tuba in fourth grade when she volunteered to make a sound on the instrument at a Music In Our Schools Month demonstration. Her elementary band teacher picked her because she was a girl and she was small. The rest is history. She realizes that not every young student has as much support and opportunities as she did in public school and beyond. While pursuing a high level of performance, she also values educational outreach and advocacy for marginalized groups in the brass and tuba community.
Meredith served as the adjunct tuba and euphonium professor at Penn State University from 2022-2024 and teaches in Baltimore County Public Schools with the OrchKids program. She is an inaugural member of the Chrysalis Orchestra and has performed at the International Women’s Brass Conference (IWBC) in Denton, TX. She travels internationally with her quintet, Looking Glass Brass, and performs and teaches with her tuba-euphonium duo, 5'Two.
NIKOLAS MOROSKY
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Hailing from Central Florida, Nikolas Morosky is both a seasoned performer and dedicated instructor who lives to share his passion for music making with colleagues and students alike. Before arriving in Baltimore Nikolas earned degrees in trombone performance at the University of Central Florida under the teaching of pedagogue and professor, Dr. Luis Fred, and Carnegie Mellon University where he studied under artist lecturer and bass trombonist of the Pittsburgh Symphony, Jeff Dee. After finishing his master's, Nik served as a graduate teaching assistant for the trombone studio at the Florida State University College of Music under the direction of Dr. Hana Beloglavec, where he began working towards his D.M.A. in trombone performance.
Outside of his education, Morosky has sustained a diverse and well-traveled career as a performer, joining ensembles such as the Hollywood Festival Orchestra on their latest tours through Japan and China, as well as the Walt Disney Company's production of the annual Candlelight Processional held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Other ensembles include the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, the Butler Symphony Orchestra, the FOOSA Philharmonic Orchestra, the UCF Faculty Brass Quintet, as well as the Brass Band of Central Florida.