Trained in both the classical and jazz repertoires, trombonist Lars Campbell performs with the Oregon Symphony and Oregon Ballet Theater orchestras as well as plays many of the national touring Broadway shows that pass through Portland. He is a co-founder of the Rose City Brass Quintet and Portland Jazz Orchestra and remains a sought-after clinician in brass pedagogy. His conducting has taken him to premiere Darrell Grant’s chamber jazz opera Sanctuaries in 2021 with Third Angle New Music, as well as conducting other stage works. In the collegiate setting, he is the director of Instrumental Music at Clackamas Community College, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and directs the Jazz Ensemble.
His discography includes appearances on Rose City Brass Quintet’s Disquiet, Storm Large’s Le Bonheur, Pink Martini’s Hang on Little Tomato, and Portland Jazz Orchestra’s Good Morning, Geek. His compositions have been played by orchestras, wind bands, and small ensembles across the country and are published by Rose City Brass Publishing.
“The first time I played an Edwards, I found the depth of sound that other maker’s instruments had lacked for me. I knew immediately that this horn could produce the ranges of sound I needed as a versatile player in the modern music world. The Edwards I play can sound equally at home in the symphony orchestra, chamber brass groups, or jazz and commercial settings, depending on what I need and how I approach the sound. Before Edwards, I felt like I had to either compensate or compromise; now I know I can present the sound I hear in my mind without needing to manipulate something physically. I can’t imagine ever going back.”