About Me

Dr. Ben McIlwain joined the faculty of The University of Southern Mississippi in the fall of 2010. He holds degrees from Middle Tennessee State University (B.M.), Manhattan School of Music (M.M.) and The Florida State University (D.M.)

One of Dr. McIlwain’s main passions and research interests is supporting new music for the trombone.  As of May 2021, Dr. McIlwain has commissioned nearly 50 new works for trombone solo and/or ensemble.  This includes compositions for his group, Tromboteam, which successfully funded a Kickstarter.com campaign in 2012 that raised $10,000 for new works for trombone ensemble including composers James Kazik, Kevin McKee, and Alan Theisen to name a few.  Tromboteam released their debut album containing all nine of these Kickstarter.com funded commissions in 2015. This recording is funded by a Scholarly and Creative Arts Grant provided by the College of Arts and Letters.  After being awarded the Aubrey Keith Lucas and Ella Ginn Lucas Endowment for Faculty Excellence, Dr. McIlwain was able to fund a new concerto for trombone and orchestra by Russian composer, Polina Nazaykinskaya.  In addition, the composer agreed that this piece would be written in memory of McIlwain’s former student Gustavo Campos Cassemiro, who lost his battle with cancer on December 4, 2013.  The title of this work is Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, In Memoriam to Gustavo Campos Cassemiro.   Premiere performances included with the Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra in February 2015 and with the U.S. Pershing’s Own at the American Trombone Workshop in March 2015. Most recently, his debut solo album Indefatigable, was released in 2022 to critical acclaim earning recognition as a Global Awards Winner for Outstanding Achievement (Instrumentalist).

In addition to these commissioning and performance opportunities, Dr. McIlwain has been active in service to the International Trombone Association.  In addition to serving as Director of TAPAS (Trombone Artists Performing for Amateurs and Students), which aimed to increase membership in the Association,   he is also a frequent contributor to the ITA Journal as a writer and literature reviewer, as well as an adjudicator for the ITA’s Solo and Ensemble competitions. Currently, he serves as Chair of the ITA Governance Committee. 

At Southern Miss, Dr. McIlwain directs all aspects of the trombone studio including The Southern Miss Trombone Choir and Select Octet.  The Southern Miss Trombone Choir was invited to perform twice at the 2013 International Trombone Festival in Columbus, GA and at the American Trombone Workshop in 2017.   He is also a member of the Southern Arts Brass Quintet, the faculty brass quintet at Southern Miss. Additionally, Dr. McIlwain serves on the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.  His primary teachers have included Dr. David Loucky, formerly of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Dr. Per Brevig, former Principal Trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, along with Dr. John Drew, professor of trombone at Florida State University.

As a Presidential University Fellow at Florida State University, Dr. McIlwain was the first doctoral trombone student and one of two in the entire College of Music at FSU to ever receive this honor. The research for his doctoral treatise titled, “Select Contributions and Commissions in Solo Trombone Repertoire by Trombonist Innovator and Pioneer: Stuart Dempster,” consists of extensive interviews with Stuart Dempster and Pauline Oliveros, among others.  He has published articles in the Grove Dictionary for Music and Musicians and the International Trombone Association Journal. Dr. McIlwain has also performed as a guest artist at the International Trombone Festival, the American Trombone Workshop, International Tuba-Euphonium Conference, International Horn Symposium, and Trombonapalooza among others.

In addition to the Nina Bells Suggs Endowed Professorship and Lucas Award, Dr. McIlwain has also been awarded the Junior Faculty Creative Achievement Award and the College of Arts and Letters’ Junior Faculty of the Year Award at The University of Southern Mississippi.  

Dr. Ben McIlwain is a Performing Artist for S.E. Shires Trombones and released his debut solo album, Indefatigable, with colleagues Ellen Elder and Jackie Mcilwain in 2022. This album was named a Global Music Awards winner for Outstanding Achievement (Instrumentalist) in 2022. The International Trombone Association Journal review of this album states that “McIlwain brings each story to life with a wide range of tone colors, a vast articulation palette, and deliberate technical execution…McIlwain plays with exquisite musical intent; each phrase is crafted to convey maximum sensitivity and emotion…Indefatigable contains wonderfully artistic performances and stirring compositions and makes the album a strong contribution to the solo trombone genre.”

Make sure to check out his new group with internationally-acclaimed guitarist, Nick Ciraldo - Seven 19!