Brian Santero, from Poughkeepsie, NY, has been Principal Trombone of the New York City Ballet since 2015. Before his move to New York, he held the same position with the San Antonio Symphony. While studying at the Curtis Institute of Music, he won the Grand Prize in several major trombone competitions, most notably the Steve Zellmer Competition and three separate International Trombone Festival competitions showing off his affinity for alto trombone and soloistic showpieces. He has extensively performed with many top orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Outside of orchestral duties, Brian is faculty at Rutgers University and Montclair State University, teaching individual studies and leading trombone choir and studio class. Also recently, to help connect students and other brass musicians across the world, he has been found putting out etude and chamber music performances online.