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 Summer Club Big Band around Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

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, Prince George Philharmonic, 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 of trombone and euphonium, Angela manages a private studio and 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. She has also taught as the substitute instructor of low brass and chamber music at the Peabody Preparatory of Johns Hopkins University.

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. While that may seem like the middle of nowhere to many, she received a high quality arts education from teachers who still influence her thinking today.

Kirsten found further inspiration at her undergraduate institution, 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 is currently second trombone with the Arlington Philharmonic. She is a member of the contemporary music group, Great Noise Ensemble, the ethno-funk band, Black Masala and is currently serving on the board of advisors for the International Trombone Association. She has played with the Monarch Brass, Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, Chopteeth Afrofunk, Shannon Gunn and the Bullettes, McLean Orchestra 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.

ASHLEIGH NAUDE

Ashleigh Naude is from Ramsey, NJ, and originally came to Maryland to study at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned her Bachelors of Music Education. While at the University of Maryland, she studied trombone with Matthew Guilford and was a member of the Honors College. Ashleigh performed in brass quintets as well as with the UMD Wind Ensemble, Wind Orchestra, and Jazz Lab Band—she also occasionally played clarinet with the University Band. As a Music Education major, Ashleigh’s favorite part of her degree program at the University of Maryland was having the opportunity to study all of the major wind and string instruments. In her last year she served as President of UMD’s chapter of the National Association for Music Education as well as serving as Horse Health Director for the Maryland Equestrian Club.

Since graduating, Ashleigh has been teaching elementary instrumental music for Prince George’s County Public Schools. In the summers, she works at various camps including the University of Maryland’s High School Music Academy and Summer Youth Music Camp, as well as marching band camps in her hometown. Ashleigh has stayed involved with the Eleanor Roosevelt High School band program where she student taught, and has traveled with the band to perform at the College Band Director’s National Association conference as well as the HBCU National Band Director’s Consortium, with an upcoming trip to perform at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago.

Ashleigh’s favorite non-musical hobby is horseback riding, and she rides at a barn where she also helps take care of their 40 horses.

ABHINN MALHOTRA

Originally from Long Island, Abhinn began his undergraduate education at Hofstra University as a Euphonium Performance major studying with Michael Salzman and was principal Euphonium of the Hofstra University Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, and Principal Trombone of the Hofstra Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Orchestra. With his numerous ensemble and solo appearances, 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 world-renowned Euphonium player Aaron Vanderweele, the 2007 International Euphonium Player of the Year.

Abhinn transferred to the prestigious Peabody Institute of Music in order to complete his undergraduate Euphonium studies with Dr. Steven Kellner, former principal Euphonium player of the famous “President’s Own” United States Marine Band. He has performed at Peabody as principal Euphonium of the Peabody Wind Ensemble, and Brass Band, and as a member of the Peabody Concert Orchestra, Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, and Trombone Ensemble. 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 in the Spring of 2016, Abhinn returned to Peabody in the Fall 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. In his conducting debut, he led an ensemble of his peers in his first of many Wind Conducting recitals, and later led the Peabody Wind Ensemble in a performance of Viet Cuong’s “Sound and Smoke”.

After completing his Graduate degrees in the Spring of 2018, Abhinn returned to the Peabody Institute in the Fall as a Doctoral Candidate in Wind Conducting, and was awarded the Wind Conducting Graduate Assistantship. He teaches Beginner conducting courses, assists with intermediate and advanced conducting courses taught by Dr. Harlan Parker, and continues to give recitals and conducts the Peabody Wind Ensemble along with his duties as the music director for the Johns Hopkins Wind Ensemble.

Outside of music, Abhinn enjoys cooking, road trips, and is an avid hockey and baseball fan.

CARTER JACKSON

Carter Jackson is a versatile performer and educator, playing music and building relationships across the country. Originally from Connecticut, he spent a few years out in New Mexico before moving to the Baltimore/Washington area to continue his career as a bass and tenor trombonist.

Carter held the position of Principal Bass Trombone of the Amarillo Symphony in Amarillo, TX for the 2015-2016 season, and has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, and the Hartford Opera Company. He has his Master’s of Music from the University of New Mexico, his Bachelor’s of Music from the University of Hartford, and finished his performing education at the Peabody Institute in 2019. His principal teachers include John Rojak of the American Brass
Quintet, Randy Campora of the Baltimore Symphony, and Dr. Christopher Buchholz of the Army Jazz Ambassadors.

Carter has presented solo recitals at the Hartt School of Music, the University of New Mexico, Peabody Institute, the St. John’s Methodist Church of Albuquerque, and the Broadmead Retirement Community. He has performed as soloist with the UNM Jazz Band and the Peabody Trombone Ensemble, and has also found success in competition, winning the Big 12 Trombone Conference’s Bass Trombone Competition in 2017, as well as being a finalist in the same competition in 2016, and the Texas State Trombone Conference’s Bass Trombone Competition in 2017. He has participated in the Aspen Music Festival and School, the National Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute and Festival, the Eastern Music Festival, and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, with highlights such as performing with Leslie Odom Jr., and Walt Disney Animation Studios: A Decade in Concert in Aspen, CO.

Carter enjoys teaching private low brass lessons with studios that have ranged from elementary level students to college music majors. In addition to music, his other passions include cooking and mountain biking.