Deb Scott

Dr. Deb Scott is the Professor of Trombone and Bass Trombone at Stephen F. Austin State University. She is active worldwide as a performing artist for Rath Trombones, England. She is the Director of the Composers Workshop for the International Trombone Festival, encouraging new music compositions for trombone.

As a soloist, Scott has been featured in Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Canada, and the Czech Republic. Scott is also a performing member of Monarch Brass, a group known as the very best women brass players in the world. Scott’s solo CD, "Playing Favorites, ", was released in 2017 by Navona Records and she has been described as “one of the premiere soloists for her instrument” (Cinemusical 2017). Her recorded live performance of Berio’s Sequenza V in 2016, was viewed by thousands of Chinese brass players creating a huge impact and discussion of musical theater and extended techniques, relatively new to that culture.  She was part of Christopher Bill’s YouTube sensation featuring 28 trombonists from throughout the world performing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody" with 3 million views.

She also is sometimes featured in radio broadcasts throughout North America and the world. Scott has performed many times at the International Trombone Festival, and under her direction, the SFA Trombone Octet has appeared twice. She also performs regularly throughout North America and the world with her trio, TexiCali.

Scott has been a member of the Shreveport Symphony (Louisiana), Shreveport Opera, Longview Symphony (Texas), the Twentieth Century Unlimited Orchestra (Santa Fe, New Mexico), the New Mexico Music Festival Orchestra (Taos), the Orchestra of the Pines (Nacogdoches, Texas), the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra (Texas), the Greeley Philharmonic (Colorado), as well as the Barnum and Bailey Greatest Show on Earth Circus Band.

As a jazz artist, Scott performed frequently in the Houston area as the lead trombonist for the Ronnie Renfrow Big Band where she also often freelanced. She has performed with such artists as JJ Johnson, Louis Bellson, Diane Reeves, Frank Mantooth, Phil Woods, Lee Greenwood, Kay Starr, the Mills Brothers and the Ink Spots. She conducted jazz bands for over 30 years and was formerly the director of jazz studies at SFA.

She remains active as a clinician and performer for All-Region and All-State jazz ensembles and jazz festivals. Scott has twice directed the Texas All-State Community College Jazz Ensemble at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference.

Scott graduated with top honors from Texas Tech University with two Bachelor’s degrees and also received the dean’s award for her master’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado. She was the first doctoral trombone performance candidate at the University of North Texas to earn a 4.0 GPA as well as the first woman to complete a doctorate in trombone performance at UNT. She was the first woman to direct a university jazz band in the state of Texas.