(short bio)                                     

Abbie Conant

received her Bachelor´s Degree (cum Laude) from Temple University in 1977.  In 1976 she studied at Yale University, and in 1979 she received her Master´s Degree from the Juilliard School, followed by a Meister diploma  from the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany in 1984.  From 1979 to1980 she was solo trombonist of the Royal Opera of Turin, Italy.  From 1980 to 1993 she was solo trombonist of the Munich Philharmonic. The International Trombone Association Journal has featured Abbie Conant in a cover article and described her as "in the first rank of world class trombonists".  She has recorded a highly acclaimed CD of trombone and organ music and performs internationally as a concerto soloist, recitalist, improviser and performance artist.  This work has taken her to most of the large state theaters in Germany, where she hasperformed to great critical and public acclaim.  In addition, in recent years she has performed as a soloist in over 60 American cities.  In 1992 the Baden-Würtenburg State Ministry for Education, in recognition of her international reputation as a trombonist, named her full tenured Professor of Trombone at the esteemed Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Trossingen, Germany.  In 1996 the 4200 members of the International Trombone Association elected her as their President elect.  In August of 1998 she was the first woman to serve as a judicator for the International Trombone Competition in Geneva, Switzerland.  Her involvement with Pauline Oliveros and Deep Listening have supported her compositional talents and have resulted in a series of music theater works concerning the Holocaust which have been performed in Germany to large audiences with critical success.  For her most recent project, entitled "The Wired Goddess and her Trombone, she is working with composers to create works for computer and trombone based on the theme of the goddess.