2022 Neill Humfeld Award: Jonas Bylund


Jonas Bylund

JONAS BYLUND is the winner of the 2022 Neill Humfeld Award for Excellence in Trombone Teaching which recognizes the trombone teaching contributions of Neill Humfeld (1928-1991), long-time trombone professor at East Texas State University, and past president of the ITA (1980-1982). The Award honors living teachers who have demonstrated an exceptional level of excellence in their work.

Jonas Bylund was born in Gävle Sweden in 1963. He started to play the trombone at the age of eight and joined the music school band of Gävle a year later. After completing his studies at the Stockholm State Academy of Music in 1987, Jonas Bylund became principal trombonist of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1988 he won 1st prize at the international soloist competition CIEM in Geneve and a year later he won the ARD-Wettbewerb in München. In 1989 he was offered the position of principal trombone with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and in 1990 he returned to Stockholm to join the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, again as principal trombonist, a post he held until 1995. In the 92–93 season he concurrently held the same position with the Bamberger Symphoniker.

Jonas has appeared as a soloist with a number of Europe’s leading orchestras, including the Philarmonia Orchestra (London), Royal Stockholm Philarmonic, Oslo Philarmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Suisse Romande, and the BBC Scottish Orchestra. Jonas is one of the founding members of the world-famous brass quintet Stockholm Chamber Brass. Since 1995

Jonas has held the position of professor of trombone at the Hochschule für Musik Theater und Medien in Hannover. He is also professor for trombone at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. His students have been prize winners at international competitions such as the ARD Wettbewerb, Aeolus International Competition in Düsseldorf, Prague Spring Competition, Citta di Porcia, Christian Lindberg International Trombone Competition (Valencia), the Gdansk International Brass Competition and at a number of ITA competitions, including three times the Emory Remington Trombone Choir Competition, in 2006 and in 2012 with the Hannover Trombone class, and in 2020 with the Trombone Class of the Norwegian Academy of Music. Many of his students have gained positions in leading symphony orchestras including, among others, the Bamberger Symphoniker, DSO Berlin, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, HR Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, NDR Hamburg, SWR Sinfonieorchester, the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Beside his pedagogic and concert career Jonas Bylund has also been active as an actor in theatre, opera, and film. He played the role of the magician in Jonas Forsell’s opera The Princess and the Moon at the Royal Opera in Stockholm and he appeared as Joe Bailadorno in Frederik Högberg’s brass western The Ballade of Kit Bones.

Read more: https://www.trombone.net/awards-2022/