Li Kuang, trombone major and graduating senior, is the winner of the International Trombone Association Frank Smith Competition. Kuang was named a finalist in the competition last spring and performed in the final round at the International Trombone Festival in Nashville on June 22, 2011. As first prize winner, Kuang will receive a custom made S. E. Shires trombone. Li is pictured here with competition judge and previous Frank Smith winner Jeremy Wilson, second trombonists with the Vienna Philharmonic.
The Frank Smith competition began in 1975 and is open to any trombonist twenty-five years and younger. Past winners include many who have gone on to prominent careers in professional orchestras and teaching positions throughout the United States and abroad. Li will begin his master’s degree in Music Performance at the University of Michigan in the fall.
(Submitted by William Mathis)
