Dr. Deb Scott
Dr. Deb Scott is the Professor of Trombone and Bass Trombone as well as the Associate Director of Publicity and Communications for the School of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. She is a performing artist for Rath Trombones and is active world-wide as a soloist and clinician. She also conducted jazz bands for over 30 years and was formerly the Director of Jazz Studies at SFA.
She is an active teacher and performer internationally including the University of Music in Trossingen, Germany, and the Janacek Academy in Brno, Czech Republic. In 2022 and 2016 she was a featured soloist and faculty member in Santa Fe, Argentina at Trombonanza. Most recently, she became a member of Monarch Brass, known as the very best women brass players in the world. Scott’s solo CD, Playing Favorites, was released in 2017 by Navona Records. She has been described as “one of the premiere soloists for her instrument” (Cinemusical 2017). She was part of Christopher Bill’s YouTube sensation featuring 28 trombonists from throughout the world performing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. She is also regularly featured in radio broadcasts throughout North America.
Under her leadership, the SFA Trombone Octet has been featured twice at the International Trombone Festival, in 2022 and in 2010. She and the SFA trombone choir were described as playing a “fantastic performance…of some of the most challenging works in the trombone choir repertoire”. She has performed several times as a soloist and within groups at the International Trombone Festival.
Dr. Scott joined the administration of the International Trombone Festival in 2019 as the Director of the Composers Workshop. She finds it very rewarding to help promote new music for the trombone and coordinates all aspects of the workshop including performances of the new music selected to be featured at each festival. For a dozen years, she reviewed solos for the U.I.L. prescribed music list for trombone and bass trombone in the state of Texas. Over twenty jazz etudes composed by Dr. Scott have been accepted as audition material for the Texas All-State jazz trombone and bass trombone auditions; she also regularly selects all-state band and orchestra audition material for trombone. She is active as a clinician and performer for All-Region jazz ensembles and jazz festivals. For twenty years, she reviewed CDs for the International Trombone Association Journal. As a conductor, Scott has twice directed the Texas All-State Community College Jazz Ensemble at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference.
Scott has been a member of the Shreveport Symphony, Shreveport Opera, Longview Symphony, the Twentieth Century Unlimited Orchestra in Santa Fe, the New Mexico Music Festival Orchestra in Taos, the Orchestra of the Pines, the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra (Texas), the Greeley Philharmonic (Colorado), as well as the Barnum and Bailey Greatest Show on Earth Circus Band.
As a jazz artist, Dr. Scott performed frequently in the Houston area as the lead trombonist for the Ronnie Renfrow Big Band where she also free-lanced often. She has performed with such artists as J.J. Johnson, Louis Bellson, Diane Reeves, Frank Mantooth, Phil Woods, Lee Greenwood, Kay Starr, the Mills Brothers, and the Ink Spots.
She graduated with top honors from Texas Tech University and received the dean’s award for her master’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado. She was the first woman to complete a doctorate in trombone performance from the University of North Texas as well as the first doctoral trombone performance candidate at UNT to earn a 4.0 GPA. She was also the first woman to direct a university jazz band in the state of Texas.
Scott’s solo CD, Playing Favorites, was released in 2017 by Navona Records. She has been a featured soloist in many recitals and concerts with bands and orchestras in Texas and has been described as “one of the premiere soloists for her instrument” (Cinemusical 2017). Most recently, she was part of Christopher Bill’s YouTube sensation featuring 28 trombonists from throughout the world performing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. In 2016 and 2023
Dr. Deb Scott is the Professor of Trombone and Bass Trombone as well as the Associate Director of Publicity and Communications for the School of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. She is a performing artist for Rath Trombones and is active world-wide as a soloist and clinician. She also conducted jazz bands for over 30 years and was formerly the Director of Jazz Studies at SFA.
She is an active teacher and performer internationally including the University of Music in Trossingen, Germany, and the Janacek Academy in Brno, Czech Republic. In 2022 and 2016 she was a featured soloist and faculty member in Santa Fe, Argentina at Trombonanza. Most recently, she became a member of Monarch Brass, known as the very best women brass players in the world. Scott’s solo CD, Playing Favorites, was released in 2017 by Navona Records. She has been described as “one of the premiere soloists for her instrument” (Cinemusical 2017). She was part of Christopher Bill’s YouTube sensation featuring 28 trombonists from throughout the world performing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. She is also regularly featured in radio broadcasts throughout North America.
Under her leadership, the SFA Trombone Octet has been featured twice at the International Trombone Festival, in 2022 and in 2010. She and the SFA trombone choir were described as playing a “fantastic performance…of some of the most challenging works in the trombone choir repertoire”. She has performed several times as a soloist and within groups at the International Trombone Festival.
Dr. Scott joined the administration of the International Trombone Festival in 2019 as the Director of the Composers Workshop. She finds it very rewarding to help promote new music for the trombone and coordinates all aspects of the workshop including performances of the new music selected to be featured at each festival. For a dozen years, she reviewed solos for the U.I.L. prescribed music list for trombone and bass trombone in the state of Texas. Over twenty jazz etudes composed by Dr. Scott have been accepted as audition material for the Texas All-State jazz trombone and bass trombone auditions; she also regularly selects all-state band and orchestra audition material for trombone. She is active as a clinician and performer for All-Region jazz ensembles and jazz festivals. For twenty years, she reviewed CDs for the International Trombone Association Journal. As a conductor, Scott has twice directed the Texas All-State Community College Jazz Ensemble at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference.
Scott has been a member of the Shreveport Symphony, Shreveport Opera, Longview Symphony, the Twentieth Century Unlimited Orchestra in Santa Fe, the New Mexico Music Festival Orchestra in Taos, the Orchestra of the Pines, the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra (Texas), the Greeley Philharmonic (Colorado), as well as the Barnum and Bailey Greatest Show on Earth Circus Band.
As a jazz artist, Dr. Scott performed frequently in the Houston area as the lead trombonist for the Ronnie Renfrow Big Band where she also free-lanced often. She has performed with such artists as J.J. Johnson, Louis Bellson, Diane Reeves, Frank Mantooth, Phil Woods, Lee Greenwood, Kay Starr, the Mills Brothers, and the Ink Spots.
She graduated with top honors from Texas Tech University and received the dean’s award for her master’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado. She was the first woman to complete a doctorate in trombone performance from the University of North Texas as well as the first doctoral trombone performance candidate at UNT to earn a 4.0 GPA. She was also the first woman to direct a university jazz band in the state of Texas.
, she was a featured soloist and faculty member in Santa Fe, Argentina at Trombonanza. She is also regularly featured in radio broadcasts throughout North America. At the International Trombone Festival in 2010, she and the SFA trombone choir were described as playing a “fantastic performance…of some of the most challenging works in the trombone choir repertoire”.
Dr. Scott joined the administration of the International Trombone Festival in 2019 as the Director of the Composers Workshop. For a dozen years, she reviewed solos for the U.I.L. prescribed music list for trombone and bass trombone in the state of Texas. Over twenty jazz etudes composed by Dr. Scott have been accepted as audition material for the Texas All-State jazz trombone and bass trombone auditions; she has also selected all-state band audition material for trombone. She is active as a clinician and performer for All-Region jazz ensembles and jazz festivals. She reviews CDs for the International Trombone Association Journal.
Scott has performed with the Shreveport Symphony, Shreveport Opera, Longview Symphony, the Twentieth Century Unlimited Orchestra in Santa Fe, the New Mexico Music Festival Orchestra in Taos, the Orchestra of the Pines, the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra (Texas), the Greeley Philharmonic (Colorado), as well as the Barnum and Bailey Greatest Show on Earth Circus Band.
As a conductor, Scott has directed the Texas All-State Community College Jazz Ensemble at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference and numerous all-region jazz bands.
As a jazz artist, Dr. Scott performed frequently in the Houston area as the lead trombonist for the Ronnie Renfrow Big Band where she also free-lanced often. She has performed with such artists as J.J. Johnson, Louis Bellson, Diane Reeves, Frank Mantooth, Phil Woods, Lee Greenwood, the Mills Brothers, and the Ink Spots.
She graduated with top honors from Texas Tech University and received the top award for her master’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado. She went on to be the first woman to complete a doctorate in trombone performance from the University of North Texas.
Interests, Activities & Plans
Deb Scott is a member of the International Trombone Association, the Texas Jazz Educators Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Tau Beta Sigma.
Other Interesting Things
Deb Scott and her husband, G.W., have two children: a daughter, Rachel; and a son, Jordan. They also enjoy traveling, kayaking, cooking, gardening, and snow skiing.
luke Vacca
Mr. Vacca works at SFA as the adjunct trombone professor. He graduated from SFA with a bachelor’s degree in music education and then earned his master’s in trombone performance from the University of Texas where he studied with Dr. Nathaniel Brickens. Prior to the pandemic, Mr. Vacca was a consistent member of the UT Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, New Music Ensemble and Trombone Choir. Mr. Vacca is also in demand as a performer and teacher in the greater Houston area.
Trombones at SFA 