TMA149 Members

Coming from the small town of Mount Albert, Ontario, Collins started playing the trombone in grade 6 and has never looked back. Performing in the top bands throughout high school, Collins started playing gigs around the GTA and eventually made the switch to Bass Trombone when studying with Don Rayment.

He attained a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto in 2018, where he studied under David Pell. After a successful 4 years at UofT, Collins was accepted under scholarship to study with Blair Bollinger at The Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University in Philadelphia. There, he attained his Master’s degree, graduating in 2020. While in Philly, Collins was a substitute with The Reading Symphony Orchestra and performed regularly with the New School Brass Quintet at Temple University.

While at Temple, Collins was appointed Trombone Instructor for the CMSP department of Temple Prep, providing trombone lessons to students of all backgrounds and skill levels in the community of Philadelphia. Currently, Collins teaches low brass and is accepting new students.

As an active freelancer, Collins has performed with orchestras such as the National Ballet of Canada, Canadian Opera Company, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. As well as Brass bands including the Hannaford Silver Street Band, Weston Silver Band and Intrada Brass. He has participated in summer festivals such as the National Academy Orchestra of Canada in 2018 and the inaugural Mentorship Program at the NAC in 2022. He has participated in masterclasses presented by; Joseph Alessi (NY Phil), Matthew Vaughn (Philadelphia Orchestra), Michael Mulcahy (CSO), Gerry Pagano (St Louis Symphony), Martin McCain (University of Texas).

In his free time, Collins enjoys spending time outdoors, expanding his whiskey collection and brewing beer with his wife, Jess.