Timothy Riordan

Instructor of Trombone

Timothy Riordan is a distinguished trombonist and educator who currently teaches at Northern Illinois University and leads the renowned trombone studio at the Merit School of Music in Chicago. He has previously served as a faculty member at the Washington Brass Institute and was the trombone instructor for the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, a program dedicated to fostering future professional orchestral musicians from underrepresented backgrounds.

Riordan is highly regarded for his expertise in trombone pedagogy, having presented master classes at prestigious institutions such as Juilliard, Eastman, Northwestern, DePaul, Lawrence, Indiana University and the University of Illinois. His teaching focuses on developing young trombonists' technical and musical skills and he has held previous teaching positions at Carthage College and served as the brass chamber coach for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. He has also directed the trombone choir for the International Trombone Festival Youth Workshop and led the Merit Trombone Choir in performances at the 2018 and 2019 International Trombone Festivals and the NIU Trombone Choir in 2022.

Under Riordan's mentorship, his students have achieved significant recognition. His studio's trombone quartets and brass ensembles have been featured multiple times on the From the Top National Public Radio program and the PBS From the Top: Live from Carnegie Hall television series. His students have also won many awards, including eight Jack Kent Cooke Scholarships, each valued at $10,000 and the American Brass Quintet Prize at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2024. Furthermore, Riordan coached the M-Prize Junior Winds first and second-place winners at the 2017 M-Prize competition.

Several of Riordan's high school students have been named to the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) and NYO-2 at Carnegie Hall. His former students have performed with some of the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and Detroit Symphony, as well as touring with top jazz and popular music acts. Some have even performed on Saturday Night Live and the Grammy Awards.

An S.E. Shires Performing Artist, Riordan earned his Bachelor of Music and Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of renowned trombonist John Marcellus. Throughout his career, Riordan has been committed to shaping the future of brass music through both his teaching and performance, leaving a lasting impact on the trombone community.