Department of Music

The repertoire of the recital features German/Austrian composers and American/English composers. Nathaniel Lee will perform Sarabande from Cello Suite No.2 in D minor by J. S. Bach, Canonic Duets by Georg Philipp Telemann with another trombonist, Srikar Chittari, Concerto for Alto Trombone and Orchestra by Johann Georg Albrechtsberger with pianist, John Mayhood, Serenade for Viola and Trombone by P. F. Strohm with violist, Megan Gray, and Trio for Trumpet, Trombone and Piano, Op. 285 by Derek Bourgeois with trumpetist Max McNutt and pianist John Mayhood. 

Performers bios:

Nathaniel Lee is the Lecturer of Trombone at the University of Virginia and serves as Principal Trombone of the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia. He also maintains an active freelance career having played with the Richmond Symphony, Staunton Music Festival, Wintergreen Music Festival, Castleton Music Festival, Charlottesville Opera, the Oratorio Society of Virginia, the Virginia Sinfonietta, and the Williamsburg Symphony. 

As a founding member of the American Trombone Quartet, Nathaniel has performed at multiple universities and international festivals; highlights include the 2018 International Trombone Festival and the Lille Trombone Festival in France in 2019. He appeared as a soloist at the Virginia Music Educators Association conference in 2017 and has performed recitals at colleges and universities across the country. In both 2018 and 2019, Nathaniel was invited to adjudicate the International Trombone Association Trombone Quartet Competition.

Before his appointment at the University of Virginia, Nathaniel was pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trombone Performance and Brass Pedagogy at the University of Iowa, where he was awarded the 2013 Downbeat Magazine Award for Outstanding Graduate Soloist. During his studies at the New England Conservatory, he was selected by the late Lorin Maazel to perform in the Castleton Music Festival. As part of the Castleton Orchestra, Nathaniel performed in the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman. 

Nathaniel Lee earned his Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He studied under Dr. Ross Walter (VCU), Toby Oft (Boston Symphony Orchestra), Steve Lange (Boston Symphony Orchestra), and Dr. David Gier (University of Iowa). Nathaniel is an Edwards artist and performs on Edwards trombones.

Pianist John Mayhood enjoys a busy performance schedule that in recent seasons has taken him across North America and Europe in a wide variety of solo and collaborative settings and in repertoire that spans from the English virginalists to music of the present day. His concerts often explore the works of a single composer, combining solo piano and chamber music – he has dedicated complete evenings to the works of Poulenc, Hindemith, Feldman, and Schubert, and to new works by emerging composers. He has recently given world premieres of works by Matthew Burtner, Daniel Kessner, and James Sochinski, and the US premiere of Bruce Mather’s Doisy Daëne III. His performances are often featured on NPR, CBC, and SRC radio, and his recordings can be heard on Ravello Records and the EcoSono label.

Also a scholar, he has presented work on ‘transformational theory’ and ‘theory and performance’ at the University of Chicago and at the annual meeting of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie. His main interest is the philosophy of music, particularly meaning in abstract music and the philosophy of performance.

John holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied with Ian Hobson; his other major teachers are Caio Pagano and Jean-Paul Sévilla. He has taught piano at the University of Illinois and philosophy at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. He currently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he is head of the piano faculty at the University of Virginia.

Originally from New Albany, Ohio, Maximillian McNutt is currently a Lecturer in Music at the University of Virginia and Principal Trumpet of the Charlottesville Symphony. Previously, he was Principal Trumpet of the Boulder Symphony, 2nd Trumpet of the Stratus Chamber Orchestra, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at St. Olaf College. He received his Bachelor of Music from Indiana University’s Jacob’s School of Music, his Master of Music from Western Michigan University, and his DMA from the University of Colorado.

As an orchestral musician, Max McNutt has performed with the Colorado Symphony, Boulder Philharmonic, Cheyenne Symphony, Denver Philharmonic, Boulder Chamber Orchestra, Mahlerfest Orchestra, Central Ohio Symphony, New Albany Symphony, and Opera Project Columbus among others. As a soloist, he has won the MTNA Young Artist Brass Division National Competition, the University of Colorado Honors Concert Competition, the Bayview Music Festival Concerto Competition, placed 3rd in the Roger Voisin Memorial Trumpet Competition, 2nd in the ITG Orchestral Excerpts Competition, 3rd in the National Trumpet Competition Graduate Division, and was a finalist for the Delta Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition.

His primary teachers include Dr. Ryan Gardner, Justin Bartels, Scott Thornburg, Dr. Robert White, John Rommel, and Nathan McGee.

Dr. Megan Gray first discovered her love for music in her 4th-grade classroom trailer at Bel Air Elementary School, in Woodbridge, VA. A devoted violist, Megan’s passion for music performance and education has guided her life’s adventure. In 2020, she was appointed Executive Director for the Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia. Dr. Gray earned her Bachelor of Music Performance in Viola from Virginia Commonwealth University. She went on to earn her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Viola Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. Her graduate research focused on the teaching of essential skills in arts entrepreneurship through innovative curricula. During her graduate studies, Dr. Gray became a founding member of the Enid Trio, a contemporary music ensemble dedicated to commissioning and performing new music. Enid has premiered works across the country including performances at Lawrence Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, and the International Double-Reed Society. In addition to her position as Executive Director with YOCVA, Dr. Gray is currently a violist with the Roanoke Symphony.

All programs are subject to change.

For more information please call the Department of Music at 434.924.3052.

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