ASO Conversation: John Gruber

In this episode, we sit down with John Gruber, our principal trombone player who has been a member of the Orchestra since 2018, to talk about his career in music, Mozart’s use of the trombone in his compositions, the craft beer scene in Akron, the merits of Star Trek and more as part of our ASO Conversation series.

In addition to the ASO, John also serves as principal trombonist with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, as well as second trombone in the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. 

John is an assistant professor of trombone at Oberlin College & Conservatory, and his teaching career has included posts at Ohio State University, Siena Heights University, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles, and the public school system in Barnesville, Ohio, where he served as band director. He is also a faculty member of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

To hear a performance from John, check out Oberlin’s YouTube channel for a faculty recital featuring John and Jeff Scott, associate professor of French horns.

To learn more about all the ways that you can experience the Akron Symphony, visit our ASO at Home page. There you will find musical performances, musician interviews, podcast episodes, and a variety of educational resources.