The University of North Georgia's Trombone Choir has been selected to perform at this summer's International Trombone Festival. Based on UNG's Gainesville campus, the six-member Trombone Choir is directed by Don Strand, director of brass studies, and features a full range of trombones from bass and tenor to alto and contrabass.

The International Trombone Festival is an annual gathering of trombone enthusiasts from around the world. The festival's program includes workshops, lectures, exhibits, competitions, and performances from world-renowned trombonists.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to take these very accomplished students to the International Trombone Festival for a performance in front of hundreds of trombone players from around the world," Strand said. "The members of the Trombone Choir are talented, hard-working music students, and our selection to perform in front of some of the world's greatest trombone players is a testament to our students' dedication and passion for music."

The International Trombone Festival will take place June 26-29 on the campus of Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga. The festival will feature performances from the Atlanta and Chicago Symphony trombone sections as well as the Washington Trombone Ensemble and the Georgia Brass Band.

The UNG Trombone Choir was invited to perform at the festival based on a live performance recording, and will perform twice at the festival—once before a guest soloist performance and again in a 30-minute concert.

The UNG Trombone Choir is a six-member ensemble that performs  original music for trombone ensemble and transcriptions of classical masterworks. Strand has  had a prolific career as a brass musician, and serves as principal tuba for the Greenville, S.C., and Columbus, Ga., symphony orchestras, among other ensembles. He has also performed as a bass trombonist for shows such as "Mary Poppins" and "The Lion King," and with artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Ray Charles.