Introduction

John Sebastian Vera, a native of Texas, became the principal trombonist of the Pittsburgh Opera in 2010. 

As Head of Brass & Percussion and lecturer of music entrepreneurship at the Cleveland Institute of Music, he is passionate about helping young musicians develop dynamic and successful careers in music.

He is a founder of the Third Coast Trombone Retreat, an elite pre-professional program and host of the Trombone Retreat podcast listened to in over 130 countries around the world. He is also on trombone faculty at Duquesne University.

In addition to the Pittsburgh Opera, Vera has performed with the symphonies of Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Buffalo, Kennedy Center Opera House, Malaysian Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Harrisburg, American Ballet Theatre, and Orquesta Sinaloa de las Artes amongst others. 

He can also be heard as solo trombone on the HBO documentary, The Words that Built America, and on euphonium in the PBS documentary, Abraham and Mary Lincoln, A House Divided, as well as on many commercial and video game soundtracks.

John Sebastian Vera is an artist for Thein Instruments and the designer of JSV Mouthpieces, a signature trombone mouthpiece line he developed with Houghton Horns. When he can get away from the trombone he most enjoys traveling, meditation and basketball. You can follow his travels, performances and food adventures on Instagram @js.vera.