An alumnus of Sarasota Youth Orchestras (SYO), trombonist Austin Canon began his professional path on southwest Florida stages. Now a first-year trombone fellow with the New World Symphony, Canon credits his early mentors with making him the musician he is today. 

“My experience in SYO was filled with a lot of firsts. Up until that time, I had never played in an orchestra or large ensemble outside of my school band program,” Canon says. “SYO broadened my horizons musically. Without having had those experiences at such a young age, I don’t think I would have pursued music as a career.”

Canon has since worked with conductors David Robertson, Keith Lockhart, Xian Jhang, and John Williams. He has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, and the New Jersey Symphony. Earlier this year, he was a finalist in the Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions competition, where he was the only trombonist in the Brass and Percussion Division and named one of the “Most Outstanding Instrumentalists.”

Born in Miami, Canon began his trombone studies with Brad Williams, Principal trombonist of Sarasota Orchestra. In high school, Canon won the Edward and Ida Wilkoff Young Artists Competition, earning him a public performance of Ferdinand David’s Trombone Concertino backed by Sarasota Orchestra. Canon holds a master’s degree from The Juilliard School and a bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music.

“My trombone teachers—Brad Williams as well as Marc Morgan—both went to The Juilliard School, and that was a huge inspiration for me,” Canon says. “They always kept a very high musical standard for me as a student. To have that imposed on me, and then to hear them maintaining that standard in Sarasota Orchestra and continuing to push the bar for themselves, was very inspiring.”