Günther Trageser
Position: 3rd
Occupation: Brewer for Brewsters Brewing Co. and Restaurants in Edmonton
Trombone: 1999 Bach Stradivarius 42BO with open wrap F attachment with a Denis Wick 5ABL Heritage mouthpiece and a Yamaha YSL-697Z small bore trombone with a Yamaha 45 C2 mouthpiece.
Groups: Ritchie Trombone Choir
Teachers: Ken Read
Influences: My daughter Sophie who's been playing the French Horn since age seven and is now studying French Horn performance at University of Victoria under Kurt Kellan..
Bio: I am a very recent convert to the trombone. After admiring my daughter Sophie on her French Horn for years, I had to play a brass instrument, too. Sophie wouldn't let me play her horn and for sure I wouldn't buy another one. So I got the trombone into my head. Finally, in November 2002 I bought a little Cleveland trombone on eBay, to see how I would get on with the instrument and started taking lessons. Five month later I was hooked and upgraded to my Holton which has now been replaced with the Bach and the Yamaha. Although I did have a guitar in my youth and also experimented with the fiddle and the mandolin, I never took formal lessons until I got started with the trombone. It's amazing how much progress one can make with proper instruction and guidance. I continue taking lessons from Ken and will probably continue with him for years to come - there's so much to learn. The great reward is having fun playing with the finest ensemble: the Ritchie Trombone Choir.