MUSIC FAQ
Sasha Romero | Principal Trombone, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Hair & Makeup by Jennifer Hinkle
Photo by Jennifer Hinkle
How many auditions have you taken?
25 or so! I took at least 23 professional orchestra auditions and auditioned for maybe 5 summer festivals (and was only accepted to one) before I won my first job with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. I took two more auditions after that before winning my job at the MET.
I took the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2nd trombone audition between FWSO and the MET and didn't even get all the way through the list in prelims! So as they say, progress isn't linear.
Got any audition advice?
Set your musical goals and plans for each and every excerpt, each and every note even, right off the bat as the first part of your prep. If you're essentially improvising the musicality as you work out an excerpt, you won't build consistency, because consistency is based around doing the same things in exactly the same way, over and over.
Don't neglect managing and countering negative self-talk you experience as you're prepping. Stuff that pops into your head during this phase will absolutely come into your mind at the audition, only stronger and harder to dismiss. Practice dealing with it while you aren't under as much pressure as you are in an audition. I like the "acknowledge/validate the negative thought, counter with realistic optimism, move on" method.
Have any educators had a significant impact on your life?
There have been so many! Steven Moss was my middle school band director who gave me free lessons, without which I certainly wouldn't be in the MET. He pushed me very hard very early on, (jokingly?) telling me I needed to learn how to triple tongue at 180 bpm in a single day, which I did after 6 hours of practice (and actually I got above 200 bpm). It was moments like those that really cemented in my head that I could achieve whatever I wanted to if I just worked hard enough.
David Applegate was a band director my senior year of high school who similarly gave me some free lessons, and he really pushed me to grow my musical skillset the most, saying things like "from now on, every single thing you ever play will be the most musical thing anyone has ever played on any instrument, ever." Those early influences were crucial to my success.
Brent Phillips was crucial to developing my awareness of and attention to professional standards of conduct and playing. I learned a lot about being a working musician and soloist in particular from him, as well as how to maintain a daily practice regimen that set me up for success in the professional world.
Allen Barnhill helped me to realize the importance of striving for beauty on each and every note. I have always tended towards being a very aggressive and forceful player, and learning how to relax and let the horn do more of the work was probably the last piece of the puzzle to winning auditions for me.
I had many other educators throughout my studies who were all influential in large and small ways, too many to list. But among them are Joe Alessi, Jim Markey, Thomas Hulten, Dave Kirk, Barbara Butler, Charlie Geyer, Carl Lenthe, Carol Yantsch, the Maniacal Four quartet, Charlie Parker, and many many more.
What is the best advice you’ve received?
An untested idea is a weak one. Good ideas and ideologies stand up to the harshest of testing, so it's always okay to question and test your methods, beliefs, pedagogy, techniques, etc. That process will hone them into better versions of themselves, and thus, a better version of yourself.
Why did you choose to play trombone?
Well, I wanted to play trumpet to beat my sisters in band because they played trumpet. But they told me my lips were too big and stuck me on trombone in beginner band. Turns out that was a lie, but bass slide trumpet is still pretty cool.
Do you have any tips for musicians?
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That isn't to say that you have to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, but that you have to figure out what is causing a lack of motivation or a lack of progress and actually take steps towards fixing it.
I was a big procrastinator, and it took me a while to really tackle the issue that had been keeping me from practicing diligently: I was having trouble starting practice sessions.
I realized that once I started a practice session I did good work, so I figured out what was making me hesitant to start and came up with solutions that eliminated distractions and made it as easy as possible for me to start practicing. Things like staying off social media so I had more mental energy to do mundane tasks, physically being in the room with my trombone and nothing else, and keeping my instrument on a stand instead of in a case really helped me turn things around.
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Your musical abilities have absolutely nothing to do with who you are as a person. You are not a terrible person if you make a mistake or have an embarrassing performance moment. If you equate these things , you’re setting yourself up for a bunch of insecurities that don't go away just because you become a professional.
It will be very difficult to weather all the failures and embarrassing moments you'll inevitably have on stage if every mistake you make causes an existential crisis, anger, and shame.
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Especially in music schools, there can be a culture of inferiority or superiority, depending on where you're at, and both are limiting in their own ways. It can be difficult to swim against the tide since we're such social creatures, so try to be critical of what is useful in the culture, what isn't, and do what you know you should do to achieve success, not what other people are necessarily expecting.
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It sounds simple, but so many trombonists in particular seem to think of their craft much like operating machinery; pull this lever and push this button to fabricate x note at y volume. But musicality is a skill in and of itself, separate from technique. They may be two sides of the same coin, but technique should be the vehicle of making music, not its purpose. never be the purpose of making music, but its vehicle. Practically speaking, it's just way more fun to play stuff in a musical way, and thus, you get a better positive feedback loop in your practice as you learn to not just execute well, but make people happy with your music.
What factors did you consider when choosing a college?
I basically lucked my way into a decent music program. I decided to be a music major very late, so my main considerations for where to go to college were financial in nature. For my graduate degree, though, I mostly wanted to get away from more academic settings and just focus on music at a conservatory so that I could just work on winning an orchestral audition. It was a good decision because I left my undergraduate degree very, very burnt out for years.
Sasha Romero | Principal Trombone, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Hair & Makeup by Jennifer Hinkle
Photo by Jennifer Hinkle
Do you have a musical family?
Yes, with the major exception of my dad, who isn't quite tone deaf, but close. My mom majored in Choral Education and was usually the lead singer. My two older sisters played trumpet, my younger sister played horn, and my younger brother played trombone. We were all pretty naturally gifted, making first chair in our band programs with minimal effort. I was the only one who took it really seriously and continued on a career path with it though.
Favorite piece of music?
That's hard to narrow down! For classical music, probably Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe or Scheherazade. Opera? Puccini's La Boheme or Tosca. Prog rock? Dream Theater's Octavarium or Coheed and Cambria's Number City. Indy Folk? Phoebe Bridger's Garden Song or Kyoto.
Most memorable musical experience?
Most memorable was probably when I was in 8th grade and was supposed to solo with the band on Blue Bells of Scotland, but I got very sick and almost didn't go. I ended up taking some fever reduction meds and went anyway, and I can definitely say, as far as solo performances go, I am most proud of staying on my feet and getting through this particular performance.