IC News

This past February, the Ithaca College Trombone Troupe hosted an LGBTQ+ panel in the James J. Whalen Center for Music as part of its annual Trombone Day. Trombone Day is a long-running event where trombonists of all ages can come together and celebrate their instrument.

The panelists spoke about their experiences being part of the LGBTQ+ community in the world of music. The panel was moderated by Luca Maurer, director of the Ithaca College Center for LGBT Education, Outreach, and Services.

Panelists included Sasha Romero, principal trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Clare Martin ’24, a Music Composition major and trombonist; Rebekah Daniel, assistant professor of band in Ithaca College’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance and director of the college’s wind ensemble; and Jen Hinkle, a freelance bass trombonist.

“Sasha Romero is a powerhouse trombone player who is also a trans woman, and I’m queer myself, so I knew this would be a great opportunity to talk about being queer in music,” Martin said. It’s not something that’s always talked about, especially as brass tends to be a male-dominated instrument family.”

During the panel, Romero reflected on how respect, power, and bias intertwined throughout her life. As an undergraduate, she initially didn’t even major in music and only played in an ensemble.

“Bias, I think, often results in people judging you not for what’s happening,” she said. “It results in a blanket stereotyping. What happens is when you make mistakes, and someone is biased against someone who is neurodivergent, or is trans, or is female and brass-playing, and when someone makes a mistake, it’s attributed to you as a person. As in, ‘You are not a good enough person to be successful in this industry.’ When you have more privilege, your mistakes are just attributed to your mistakes, you are not the kind of person who makes those kinds of mistakes, you get a second chance.”

After Romero talked about her professional journey, the other panelists shared their experiences with how their sexuality and/or gender identity affected their own journeys in the field.

Daniel discussed the positives to her identity as a queer woman: “My queerness and my professional life does give me a unique sense of pride and the ability to have special mentoring relationships with other people who might be experiencing the same thing,” she said. “So, I found that I may be helpful for them.”