Our 2020/2021 Student Composer Fellowship is well underway. To get to know them better, we asked each of the participants these six questions.

Trombonist Benjamin Dondanville is a senior at Independence High School. He is studying instrumental music composition with Cristina Spinei.

What is your instrument and what made you choose it? 

I chose the trombone because my dad played it and we already had one.

What do you listen to for fun?

My favorite pieces to listen to are the Romantic era symphonies like Mahler’s 5th and Bruckner’s 8th.

What are your other hobbies outside of music? 

I like to watch football and other sports.

What do you think you want to do for a career?

I would like to play trombone and compose professionally.

What is your #1 most favorite piece of classical music and why?

My favorite piece of music ever is definitely Bruckner’s 8th Symphony, one because I am a trombone player and the finale is awesome, but also because it is all around beautiful and I love Bruckner’s style and the Romantic era influence in the piece.