About TJ

TJ started his musical career in the 6th grade and graduated high school in 2024 from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, FL. From 2024-2026, TJ attended the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University studying with Dr. Bradley Palmer. At CSU, TJ was a member of the Schwob Wind Ensemble directed by Dr. Jamie Nix, and the Schwob Philharmonic, conducted by Paul Hostetter, and the highly regarded Schwob Trombone Ensemble, which he performs with currently.

Additionally, TJ has gotten the opportunity to attend summer festivals such as the Southeast Trombone Symposium, in which he was the winner of the 2024 STS Youth Solo Competition. He was also chosen as a member of the National Youth Orchestra 2 for the summer 2022 and 2023 seasons, traveling to New York, Miami, and the Dominican Republic.

From 2024-2025, TJ was a member of the Iridescent Trombone Quartet, based out of Columbus, GA. The group performed a southeast tour, traveling to middle/high schools in Florida and North Carolina and were finalists in the 2025 International Trombone Association Quartet Competition. From 2025-2026 TJ was a member of the Chattahoochee Trombone Quartet who were runner ups in the 2026 American Trombone Workshop Quartet Competition

Some of TJ’s musical mentors include Christopher Bassett, Dr. Bradley Palmer, Brian Wendel, Megumi Kanda, David Schmidt, Don Zentz, Dr. Kenneth Williams, and his dad, Ted Shistle.