Biography
Ben Dettelback currently serves as principal trombone of The Syracuse Orchestra and instructor of trombone at Syracuse University鈥檚 Setnor School of Music.
Dettelback served as principal trombone of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (Ithaca, New York) from 2018 to 2024 and has performed with groups such as the Buffalo Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic/Oratorio Society, Skaneateles Festival, West Point Band, Princeton Symphony, and American Institute of Musical Study in Graz, Austria.
He has appeared twice as a soloist with The Syracuse Orchestra, performing Tan Dun's Trombone Concerto "Three Muses in Video Games" in January 2026 on the Masterworks Subscription Series and the final movement of L. Grondahl鈥檚 Trombone Concerto during the 2022-23 season. Dettelback can be heard alongside Bradley Kerns, David Seder, and Clint Woltering on the 2024 trombone quartet album titled 鈥淕oldberg Variations, BMW 988鈥 as well as the 2020 Naxos American Classics recording 鈥淏ernstein Songfest鈥 with the National Orchestral Institute and James Judd. He was also named a finalist in the 2018 International Trombone Association's Alto Trombone Competition.
In addition to his teaching duties, Dettelback is the founder and director of the Setnor Slides Trombone Ensemble and has presented masterclasses at Ithaca College, the University of Kentucky, and Colgate University. He also served on the orchestral faculty of the 2023 Varna International Music Academy.
Dettelback received a Bachelor of Music and performer鈥檚 certificate from the Eastman School of Music, followed by a Master of Music from Yale University, where he studied with Larry Zalkind and Scott Hartman, respectively. He is currently completing a Doctor of Musical Arts at Eastman.
Education
- MM, Yale University
- BM/PC, Eastman School of Music